This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Someone else (talk | contribs) at 22:10, 27 October 2002 (literally, OUT, not excluded; Eucharist and community are two different meanings of communion). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:10, 27 October 2002 by Someone else (talk | contribs) (literally, OUT, not excluded; Eucharist and community are two different meanings of communion)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Generally associated with the Roman Catholic church, excommunication is religious censure intended to deprive one of membership of a religious community and, in the Catholic context, preclude the excommunicated from salvation. Excommunication is considered automatic for some sins within the Catholic church, but can also be a formal affair, generally reserved for renegade clerygymen and such.
The word literally means "out of communion"; the outward sign of this loss of community involves barring the person from participating in Communion or receiving the Eucharist, and as a consequence losing their status as members. In Eastern Orthodoxy, a person may also be barred from receiving the Eucharist. In this context however, this merely changes the member's classification in the parish from 'faithful' to 'penitent', and is intended to be only temporary.
See also: Shunning