As a former Catholic, I agree that more churches - especially Protestant denominations - should discipline their members for “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin" - the language of Catholic Canon 915 under which Pelosi was denied Holy Communion by Archbishop Cardileone of San Francisco.
However, the archbishop did NOT excommunicate Pelosi. He merely denied her communion until such time as she repents of her grave sin, the sin of promoting abortion. "Excommunication is a penalty that involves more than just being denied Communion. Its effects are spelled out in canon 1331." https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/whos-worthy-to-receive-communion
Canon 915 thus envisions a group of people who are not excommunicated but who are to be denied Communion because they are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin.”
Excommunication under Catholic law (Canon 1331) prevents the subject from receiving or participating in ANY sacrament or liturgical worship service. In effect, it bans the person from the Catholic church until repentance of sin is completed.
I suspect that the Roman Catholic Church is very formal in its ecclesiastical laws and procedures because it is one of the oldest and is the largest Christian denomination on the planet. However, Protestant denominations could take a lesson from the good aspects of this formality by drawing Scriptural lines proscribing Biblically-accepted behavior for their leaders and members. Unfortunately the worldly nature of man encourages us to either excuse grave sin or to cover it up. It seems that all Christian denominations have been guilty of worldly behavior in response to sin in an effort to preserve their institutions rather than the true church of Jesus Christ.
Still, we must remember that "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23.
As a former Catholic, I agree that more churches - especially Protestant denominations - should discipline their members for “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin" - the language of Catholic Canon 915 under which Pelosi was denied Holy Communion by Archbishop Cardileone of San Francisco.
However, the archbishop did NOT excommunicate Pelosi. He merely denied her communion until such time as she repents of her grave sin, the sin of promoting abortion. "Excommunication is a penalty that involves more than just being denied Communion. Its effects are spelled out in canon 1331." https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/whos-worthy-to-receive-communion
Canon 915 thus envisions a group of people who are not excommunicated but who are to be denied Communion because they are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin.”
Excommunication under Catholic law (Canon 1331) prevents the subject from receiving or participating in ANY sacrament or liturgical worship service. In effect, it bans the person from the Catholic church until repentance of sin is completed.
I suspect that the Roman Catholic Church is very formal in its ecclesiastical laws and procedures because it is one of the oldest and is the largest Christian denomination on the planet. However, Protestant denominations could take a lesson from the good aspects of this formality by drawing Scriptural lines proscribing Biblically-accepted behavior for their leaders and members. Unfortunately the worldly nature of man encourages us to either excuse grave sin or to cover it up. It seems that all Christian denominations have been guilty of worldly behavior in response to sin in an effort to preserve their institutions rather than the true church of Jesus Christ.
Still, we must remember that "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23.
As my daily devotional put it yesterday: "Our task is not to become [Christian] pundits, condemning one or justifying the other, but to walk humbly before God lest we ourselves become like the evil we condemn." https://www.northlandcathedral.org/resources/nc-daily-devotional/ii-kings-8-12/