TRACTATE II: On Censures and Ecclesiastical Penalties

1249. • All delicts, and especially public delicts, import a perturbation of order, both with respect to God, and with respect to society, and with respect to the delinquent himself.

Therefore the disturbed order must be restored. But it is restored by PENALTIES, both vindicative, by which, namely, the injured honor of God is vindicated; and exemplary, by which others are deterred, lest they also offend; and medicinal, such as ecclesiastical censures are, by which the guilty are incited to come to their senses more quickly.

1250. It pertains to Canon Law to treat of these various penalties, insofar as they regard the external forum. Nevertheless, moral science also ought to hand down notions concerning Censures and Ecclesiastical Penalties, at least concerning those which are more useful and more necessary for the confessor to know.

We shall speak: 1. of censures in general; 2. of the three species of censures, which are: Excommunication, Suspension, and Interdict; 3. of the censures which in present times are in force in particular; 4. of certain other penalties inflicted by the Church.