Returning Catholics FAQs: Excommunication

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

If I disagree with my pastor or bishop on something, am I going to get excommunicated?

First, let’s discuss excommunication, a situation in which a Catholic must have committed wha...