The Diocese of Italy announced on Monday that a priest had been excommunicated for committing “acts of a divisive nature” in public.
On January 1, the diocese of Livorno in northwestern Italy said, Fr. Ramon Guidetti, at a New Year’s Eve Mass in the parish of San Ranieri in Guastice, was cited under Canon 751 for “rejecting obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and communion with the members of the Church under his rule.” violated the article. ”
The diocese announced that Bishop Simone Giusti of Livorno had issued a decree declaring that the 48-year-old priest had suffered serious injuries as a result of the act of schism. latte cententiae Excommunication.
latte sententier Excommunication, often referred to as “automatic excommunication,” is a medical punishment that an offender receives at the moment of violating canon law, rather than at the end of the canonical process.
However, although canon law provides for such “automatic” penalties for certain serious crimes, primarily those committed against the faith or against the Church itself, the full effect of the penalty remains in effect. For this to happen, a competent ecclesiastical authority must declare that a penalty has been imposed.
The offense was committed on December 31, 2023, the first anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict was punished. The priest has been serving in Livorno since 2017.
According to Italian media, Guidetti said: “On December 17 last year, at a shrine near Buenos Aires, anonymous people were there. [Pope Francis] When he was archbishop, a statue of St. Peter was struck by lightning. And what was incinerated? Hello and key. There is a halo because Peter is no longer holy because there are Jesuit Freemasons, anti-papal usurpers connected to world powers. And the key was kept by the good Benedict. ”
Guidetti was referring to an incident that reportedly took place at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary in San Nicolas, in the province of Buenos Aires. December 17th was the Pope’s 87th birthday.
Guidetti seemed to suggest that he believed the German pope did not legitimately resign in 2013, saying Benedict XVI kept the keys to St. Peter’s Basilica. This position, known as “benevacantism,” is widely discredited among canon law scholars.
When Mr. Guidetti finished his sermon, the congregation gave a big round of applause.
The diocese of Livorno, in the ecclesiastical district of Pisa, which has about 187,000 Catholics, said in a statement that Guidetti had been “suspended.” God He was then expelled from the pastorate. ”
suspension God This means that, as an exception to canon law, priests are effectively barred from ministry and public sacramental rites, with the exception of the obligation to hear confessions and administer absolution in cases of imminent danger of death.
The diocese stated: “Priests and laity are admonished not to participate in his celebrations and other acts of worship as usual.” in fact [by that very fact] The very severe punishment of excommunication will be imposed. ”
Guidetti’s excommunication comes as the priest faces canon law proceedings in Brazil after the archdiocese alleges he made divisive statements and ignored usage restrictions in pre-conciliar liturgical regulations. It follows the incident.
The Archdiocese of São Paulo announced on November 29, 2023 that it would launch a preliminary investigation into Fr. Fabio Fernández was accused of schismatic activities and was also expelled from the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in the Barra Funda district of São Paulo, where he was pastor.
Mr. Fernandez has rejected the archdiocese’s claims, but it is unclear how much he intends to fight the divisive charges.
Father Guidetti spoke about his excommunication on January 2nd in an interview on Radio Domina Nostra hosted by Alessandro Minutella, a Sicilian priest who was also excommunicated. Latte Cententiae Because of the heresies and schisms of 2018.
Guidetti said he plans to have his excommunication framed and displayed on his wall.
“The church is supposed to be maternal, but in reality the church is a tyrant,” he said.
Bishop Giusti told Italian media that Guidetti was given a warning before Christmas.
“He broke his communion with the pope and the Catholic Church, so the excommunication was automatic,” Giusti said.
“He had already been warned not to do such a thing before Christmas and in the end we understood the gravity of the matter and agreed to ignore his intentions.”
“And at Mass on December 31st [came] His declaration of rupture was unexpected at the time, challenging the election of Pope Francis, his ministry and authority, and celebrating in a divisive manner rather than celebrating communion with the Pope. ”
Giusti added: “I called him the day after Mass, but he didn’t answer. He had already packed up his things, left the keys in the hands of a woman in the parish, not me, and left shortly thereafter, joining a splinter group opposed to the Church. It was absorbed. Everything was planned in advance.”
The bishop said he hoped the priest would reconsider because “the door is always open.”
Excommunication, as defined by canon law, prohibits ministerial participation in the liturgy and “all rites of worship,” and prohibits receiving the sacraments. The penalty also prohibits the affected person from holding any church or pastoral office.
The purpose of excommunication as a medical punishment is to bring about the rehabilitation of the person punished, so the declaration of excommunication must include the means and conditions for the offender to return to communion with the Church. Must be.