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Anonymous Andy
wrote:
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Hi guys,
- Are there any particular reasons that the Catholic Church would request
a parishioner
to leave the entire faith?
My ex-brother-in-law recently
stated that this happened to him; I was
quite surprised.
At one time, he was the parish counsel president. Thank you in advance for any answer you can provide.
Andy
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Are there reasons that the Church would request a parishioner to
leave the entire faith? }
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Bob replied:
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Dear friend,
There are no reasons that I know of. Usually expulsion,
or excommunication, is a measure intended to restore the person to the
fullness of the faith by the somewhat forced reflection on
the loss however this situation seems a bit different.
Maybe . . . your brother was refusing to give consent to important Catholic
teaching and was not keeping an open mind with respect to the Church's
authority and wisdom. Someone may have called him on it and suggested that
another church may be truer to his own sense of belief.
I can only see
this happening if he was obstinate and not willing to accept Catholic teaching. I have a friend in a similar situation. He was never asked to leave
but decided, himself, that he belonged elsewhere. Your brother, being in
a prominent position, was likely to incur scandal should his conflict with
the faith be made public to all, so that maybe why someone said something to
him.
That is my guess. I would say it's sad and unfortunate. I hope that Catholic
friends and family would continue to help him see the Catholic side of
things and maybe bring him into full communion with the Church.
Let us know if that was a fair estimation.
Peace,
Bob Kirby
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John replied:
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Andy,
Just to add to what Bob has said, even in the case of
an excommunication from a tribunal, such Catholics are
not told to stop attending Mass. They are told to refrain
from receiving the Sacraments. It sounds like either
your ex-brother-in-law:
- is not telling you something
- misunderstood
what was said to him, or
- the person demanding he leave the faith had
no real authority.
- Since he is your ex-brother-in-law, could it be that he re-married without
an annulment?
If that is the case, those that are divorced and re-married
can still go to Mass but must abstain from the sacraments.
This all sounds very strange. The Church uses the utmost of pastoral care
in these cases. This is evident by the way she has patiently dealt with politicians
that openly espouse heresy such as abortion rights.
Unless this man was actively trying to lead his fellow Catholics into heresy
or sin, I can't understand this action. Like I said; It sounds like:
- he's
either got it wrong
- he's not telling you the whole story, or
- someone took it upon themselves to act without the authority to do
so.
John |
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