[Moose4]

OK, that makes sense. So how does excommunication fit in there—that’s a complete expulsion from the Catholic Church, right? Can’t take Communion, go to confession, anything?

(Sorry for all the questions...I’m Presbyterian but this is very interesting to me.)

}:-)4

[Campion]

Excommunication isn't exactly "expulsion from the church," but it prohibits the excommunicand from receiving any of the sacraments, including confession, until he formally repents of the crime which caused the excommunication.

"Formally repents" means that stops committing the crime and makes his repentance known to a cleric competent to remove the excommunication. (May be a priest, bishop, or the Pope, depending on the offense.)

I would think that a cleric who is excommunicated is de facto "removed from the clerical state" but would be automatically reinstated if he repented. Someone formally removed from the clerical state, though, would not be automatically reinstated, nor usually reinstated at all.