Let me approach my answer from this point: Do you believe Scripture when it said Christ told Peter whatever he held on Earth would be held in heaven and whatever he loosed on Earth would be loosed in heaven? I believe Christ said that to Peter. In turn, Peter “held” on Earth that that same power to bind or loose was to be passed on to the next head of the Church and so on. If Peter held that, then Christ kept His promise and held it in Heaven too. In a nutshell, Catholics believe that Christ made Peter the authority here on Earth, promised Peter’s spiritual pronouncements would be upheld in Heaven, and that Christ and Peter wanted that authority to pass in succession to the head of the Church until the end of time. All the members of the early Christian Church believed this. St. Paul believed this.
“The fundamental proof, therefore, of the Church’s right to excommunicate is based on her status as a spiritual society, whose members, governed by legitimate authority, seek one and the same end through suitable means. Members who, by their obstinate disobedience, reject the means of attaining this common end deserve to be removed from such a society. This rational argument is confirmed by texts of the New Testament, the example of the Apostles, and the practice of the Church from the first ages down to the present. Among the Jews, exclusion from the synagogue was a real excommunication (Ezra 10:8). This was the exclusion feared by the parents of the man born blind (John 9:21 sq.; cf. 12:42; 16:2); the same likewise that Christ foretold to His disciples (Luke 6:22). It is also the exclusion which in due time the Christian Church should exercise: “And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican” (Matthew 18:17). In the celebrated text: “Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven” (Matthew 18:18; cf. 16:19), it is not only the remission of sins that is referred to, but likewise all spiritual jurisdiction, including judicial and penal sanctions. Such, moreover, was the jurisdiction conferred on St. Peter by the words: “Feed my lambs”; “feed my sheep” (John 21:15, 16, 17).
St. Paul excommunicated regularly the incestuous Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5:5) and the incorrigible blasphemers whom he delivered over to Satan (1 Timothy 1:20). Faithful to the Apostolic teaching and example, the Church, from the very earliest ages, was wont to excommunicate heretics and contumacious persons; since the fourth century numerous canons pronounce excommunication against those who are guilty of certain offenses.
It’s my understanding as a Catholic than we excommunicate someone when his actions are openly contrary to Church teaching and are causing scandal and jeopardizing others’ faith. With excommunication, we are saying the person is committing acts which put him in jeopardy of eternal damnation. We are not damning him, we are telling him his actions may cause God to damn him to hell. It is hoped the pain of separation will help the person understand the pain of separation from God in hell. It is a reminder that his actions are deadly serious and a warning of what he risks: eternal separation from God.
Christ is the path to salvation. The sacraments He instituted strengthen us on the journey. Only God, not the Pope, sends someone to hell. But the Pope can determine which sins are mortal sins, and can publicly state someone is not following Church teaching and is in the state of mortal sin. Popes don’t do it very often— look at all the “Catholic” politicians who work to promote abortion. The Pope has not publicly excommunicated them, though they deserve it.
I hope this clarified Catholic thinking on this subject and I thank you for your questions. My answer is not perfect, but it’s a beginning.
I do not understand that passage in the same way that you do. As I see it, the Rock is that Christ is the Son of the Living God, not Simon Barjona. As for the power to bind and loose, I see no scriptural reference to Peter passing this on to another person. So no, I don’t agree. Also, I’m not sure what it means. The power to work miracles? Peter had that, do any recent Popes or other ministers? naturally, I cannot believe it had anything to do with power over men’s souls, which is God’s perogative.
As for the right to excommunicate in the sense of expelling people from the Church’s society, I have absolutely no problem with that. Baptists do it too (not so much anymore) They call it “disfellowshiping”. Still, if one Baptist Church disfellowships you, you can always join another, if they’ll have you.
But the power of it in medival times was that people believed their souls were in peril because they didn’t get the sacraments. Or so I have been given to understand.
Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to address my questions. AS long as we are in Christ, the other thoelogical matters are of secondary importance, IMO.
god bless you
“Let me approach my answer from this point: Do you believe Scripture when it said Christ told Peter whatever he held on Earth would be held in heaven and whatever he loosed on Earth would be loosed in heaven? I believe Christ said that to Peter. In turn, Peter “held” on Earth that that same power to bind or loose was to be passed on to the next head of the Church and so on. If Peter held that, then Christ kept His promise and held it in Heaven too. In a nutshell, Catholics believe that Christ made Peter the authority here on Earth, promised Peter’s spiritual pronouncements would be upheld in Heaven, and that Christ and Peter wanted that authority to pass in succession to the head of the Church until the end of time. All the members of the early Christian Church believed this. St. Paul believed this.”
Breathtakingly wrong. The power to loose and bind was given to all the Apostles in Matthew 18 “18Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”.
Furthermore, the disciples didn’t take it to mean Peter was number one, since they argued over the subject a few chapters later. And instead of saying, “Peter is my Vicar”, Jesus made it clear the whole debate was wrong.
Paul obviously didn’t believe it, since he bumped heads with Peter in Galatians 2. And Peter didn’t believe it, since he was afraid of the men sent by James, also in Galatians 2.
And in passages referring to false teachers, not ONCE did an Apostle write, “Just look to Peter and his Successors - they will know the Truth”.