Hi, Robert —

Sorry to hear you feel this way.

• Are there any issues we can help with or address?
• Is there a specific reason, you or whoever, wishes to disengage from the Church?

You said:

• How does one completely disengage from the Catholic Church?

If you are a baptized Christian, whether you are a Catholic or not, you will always be a Christian. Baptism imprints a character on your soul that can't be removed. From a Catholic view, it's like asking:

• How do I stop being a member of my natural family?

You really can't, though my colleague Eric answered a similar question below.

• What is the best way to formally renounce my Baptism and membership in the Catholic Church?

Hope this helps,

Mike

Hi, Robert —

In essence, this is not possible.

The best you can do is stop receiving Holy Communion.

Under law, you will always be treated as a Catholic (unless the law changes).

You cannot reverse Baptism.

Eric

Robert —

You can formally adopt another religion, or you can formally renounce Catholicism by word and deed.

You will always be a baptized person, with a supernatural capacity to live the life of God and, should you choose to, to know the truth.

Mary Ann

Robert,

Let me add one more thing to think about. Baptism is analogous to Marriage.

Even though your parents and godparents may have stood up for you when consent was made at your Baptism with their I do's, it was in essence the ratification to your marriage with Christ, our Groom, as a Catholic Christian. Similar to Christian marriage you have the freedom to leave and breach this Covenant by cohorting or even cohabitating with other gods (or distorted versions of the same God). However, as Christian marriage is indissoluble, the character of this marital bond to Christ as a baptized Catholic Christian also remains. Though you have the freedom to leave, and you should always follow your properly formed conscience, other religious relationships outside of this covenant could be seen as objectively analogous to adultery.

Peace,

Paul