Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Kenneth · 07-14-2003, 06:30 AM

I'm not a Christian. But I just thought that the Catholic would do well if they excommunicated Adolf Hitler. I don't think there should be any problem excommunicating him. His crime are beyond compare...so horrendous that his name is synonymous to evil.

If the Church won't excommunicate Hitler, then it just begs the question: what does it take to get excommunicated?

Rational BAC · 07-14-2003, 06:54 AM

The Catholic Church has excommunicated many people so I don't think it would be a problem-------except that--

------probably you have to be living to be excommunicated.

I'm not Catholic so don't really know though. Any Catholics have an answer?

Muffinstuffer · 07-14-2003, 09:45 AM

I was going to say...don't you sort of have to be alive to be excommunicated? Unless there's such a thing as posthumous excommunication.

FYI - for those who care/remember me, I didn't leave due to frustration. *LOL* I left because both my wife and I got sick, and then we moved the contents of our house ourselves from Virginia to Arkansas. Fun stuff.

Toto · 07-14-2003, 10:34 AM

At least one Catholic thinks it's not too late to excommunicate Hitler.

While he was alive, Hitler had signed an agreement with the Pope which the Catholic Church considered highly advantageous, so they weren't about to excommunicate him then.

Also from here

Quote:

Hitler was born a Catholic and the Church did not excommunicate him. In 1949, Pope Pius XII excommunicated all Communists around the world, just because of their membership in communist parties, but he never excommunicated a single Nazi mass murderer. What does that tell you? Moreover the Vatican helped some of the greatest mass murderers of all time escape the Allies' justice officials, by shepherding them to Latin America. Included among them were Adolf Eichmann, Auschwitz's Dr. Josef Mengele, Treblinka's commander, Franz Stangl, and many others. What the Vatican did not do for the hunted Jews, it did for their hunters and killers.

Calzaer · 07-14-2003, 01:05 PM

Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Adrammalech · 07-14-2003, 02:05 PM

There is a way to excommunicate Hitler, while you just can't excommunicate someone after they die, you can excommunicate them retroactively so to speak at the time the committed the excommunicable action that they were really excommuicated while they were alive.

It's here go down to section IV

Biff the unclean · 07-15-2003, 11:46 AM

Although the Roman Catholic Church hasn't excommunicated Hitler for murdering millions of innocent people they did excommunicate Erasmus the most eminent intellectual of his time. His crimes were Humanism and satire. At the time of his excommunication he had already been dead for eight years.

Shake · 07-15-2003, 11:58 AM

Since excommunication is a recurring theme here at II, I thought it appropriate to bring up this quote from Adrammalech's link:

Quote:

...infidels, pagans, Mohammedans, and Jews, though outside of the Church, are not excommunicated.

Pyrrho · 07-15-2003, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Biff the unclean
Although the Roman Catholic Church hasn't excommunicated Hitler for murdering millions of innocent people they did excommunicate Erasmus the most eminent intellectual of his time. His crimes were Humanism and satire. At the time of his excommunication he had already been dead for eight years.

That is because Erasmus was damaging to the Catholic Church, and Hitler was not. Being a murderer is not something that ever gets anyone excommunicated. But if you ridicule the Catholic Church, then you may be excommunicated.

07-14-2003, 06:30 AM	#1
Kenneth Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: PROC Posts: 206	Excommunicate Hitler I'm not a Christian. But I just thought that the Catholic would do well if they excommunicated Adolf Hitler. I don't think there should be any problem excommunicating him. His crime are beyond compare...so horrendous that his name is synonymous to evil. If the Church won't excommunicate Hitler, then it just begs the question: what does it take to get excommunicated?

07-15-2003, 11:46 AM	#7
Biff the unclean Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: an inaccessible island fortress Posts: 10,638	better late than never Although the Roman Catholic Church hasn't excommunicated Hitler for murdering millions of innocent people they did excommunicate Erasmus the most eminent intellectual of his time. His crimes were Humanism and satire. At the time of his excommunication he had already been dead for eight years.

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07-14-2003, 06:54 AM	#2
Rational BAC Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Tampa Bay area Posts: 3,471	The Catholic Church has excommunicated many people so I don't think it would be a problem-------except that-- ------probably you have to be living to be excommunicated. I'm not Catholic so don't really know though. Any Catholics have an answer?

07-14-2003, 09:45 AM	#3
Muffinstuffer Regular Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Mountain Home, AR Posts: 199	I was going to say...don't you sort of have to be alive to be excommunicated? Unless there's such a thing as posthumous excommunication. FYI - for those who care/remember me, I didn't leave due to frustration. LOL I left because both my wife and I got sick, and then we moved the contents of our house ourselves from Virginia to Arkansas. Fun stuff.

07-14-2003, 01:05 PM	#5
Calzaer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,762	Somehow, I'm not surprised.

07-14-2003, 02:05 PM	#6
Adrammalech Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: East Lansing Posts: 72	There is a way to excommunicate Hitler, while you just can't excommunicate someone after they die, you can excommunicate them retroactively so to speak at the time the committed the excommunicable action that they were really excommuicated while they were alive. It's here go down to section IV

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