You might be seeing in the news today the story that six sisters from Hot Springs, Arkansas were formally excommunicated by the Catholic Church yesterday. I wanted to take a second to explain a few things about excommunication.
To be excommunicated requires the person in question to choose excommunication. It is not a forced punishment, but the result of a person's choice to stay on the wrong path.
In this particular case, the sisters belonged to a Canadian group that the Church had declared to no longer be in communion with the teaching of the Church (i.e. ex-communicated). The diocesan administrator, Msgr. Gaston Hebert, gave the sisters one week to consider their choice between membership in the society or in the Church. If after one week they still chose the non-Catholic society, they would be considered excommunicated.
The Church never wants to resort to excommunication. The Church always hopes that when this choice is presented to someone, that person will choose the Church. But just as with any group, if a member is not willing to follow the guidelines of that group, they have effectively removed themselves from it. The Church is saddened by these events, but if we hope to maintain the integrity and unity of the Church, it is sometimes necessary.
Here are several links if you would like to read more about this particular case:
• Arkansas Catholic Newspaper Article
• Diocesan Press Release
• Declaration from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
Thursday, September 27, 2007
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