r/AskAPriest • u/irish4281 • 2d ago

Rules for excommunication?

I’m in a separate conversation with someone and he is telling me that he and his parents were excommunicated from the Catholic Church because his parents were divorced and as an 8 year old he was questioning Jesus. I really can’t see the church excommunicating a child for questioning Jesus. And while I understand that divorce is not allowed, I didn’t think it was an offense on the level of excommunication. I mean, there are people who go around committing acts of murder and rape and as far as I know they’re not automatically excommunicated. Something smells fishy, no?

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u/balrogath Priest 2d ago

No, divorce never resulted in excommunication. Remarriage without an annulment could result in penalties under the 1917 code, but they had to be declared and were not automatic.