Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume II › Book IV. On the Sanction of Christian Life, or on Ecclesiastical Penalties › Treatise II. On the Penalties of Delict › Dissertation III. On Penalties Established for Individual Delicts

Part — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

Part II. On Interdicts

899.

Four interdicts latae sententiae are enumerated, namely:

I. Universities, colleges, chapters, or other moral persons, by whatever name they are called, who appeal from the laws, decrees, or mandates of the Roman Pontiff for the time being to a Universal Council, incur an interdict reserved to the Apostolic See in a special manner (canon 2332). This interdict affects the moral persons appealing; physical persons appealing in this way contract excommunication (p. 763). What an interdict issued against a moral person imports, however, see p. 740, VII and question 1.

II. They contract by the law itself an interdict from entrance into a church, until, at the judgment of the one whose sentence they have despised, they have made congruous satisfaction: those knowingly celebrating divine things or causing divine things to be celebrated in interdicted places; or admitting to the celebration of divine offices, which are forbidden by censure, clerics excommunicated, interdicted, or suspended after a declaratory or condemnatory sentence (canon 2338, § 3).1

  1. The word "knowingly" refers to those celebrating, to those causing divine offices to be celebrated, and to those admitting. Therefore the interdict affects:

a) Those knowingly celebrating or causing divine things to be celebrated (p. 731) in interdicted places, excepting, however, those divine things which can be done according to the norm of canons 2270-2272 (n. 878).

b) Those knowingly admitting, to the celebration of divine offices forbidden by censure, clerics excommunicated, interdicted, or suspended, against whom a declaratory or condemnatory sentence has been issued. Those admitting are understood to be those who have the office and right of admitting or repelling, such as a pastor or rector.

  1. The interdict is to be removed, or rather seems to cease ipso facto, as soon as the delinquents have made congruous satisfaction at the judgment of the one whose sentence they have despised.2 Thus judgment concerning congruous satisfaction belongs to him who interdicted the place or issued the declaratory or condemnatory sentence against the clerics who are admitted to divine offices.

III. Those who spontaneously give burial to infidels, apostates from the faith, or heretics, schismatics, or others, whether excommunicated or interdicted, against the prescription of canon 1240, § 1 (canon 2339), contract an interdict from entrance into a church reserved to the Ordinary. What canon 1240, § 1 prescribes, see p. 750. For the rest:

  1. On the word "spontaneously," compare what was said in n. 858.

  2. In what sense ecclesiastical burial is taken, see p. 778.

  3. Those giving burial are understood to be clerics only, namely those whose role it is to perform all those things which pertain to ecclesiastical burial.

IV. Those who gave cause for a local interdict or an interdict against a community or college contract a personal interdict reserved to no one (canon 2338, § 4). But to what penalties persons personally interdicted are liable, see n. 879.

1 This interdict, since it is neither perpetual, nor for a predefined time, nor at the pleasure of the Superior, seems to be a medicinal penalty, not a vindicative one (cf. canon 2291, 2°).

2 Cf. Holy Office, February 1, 1871.

InterdictThe special interdicts of the Code