Has Anyone Successfully Left the Catholic Church?

[Mercurial123]

Has anyone formally left the Catholic Church and if so how easy/difficult was it? And how did you feel afterwards?

It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. My friends who were baptised Catholic but are now atheist looked a bit shocked, probably because no-one has ever considered it.

This is from a US site, but the procedure be the same in the UK?

www.buzzfeednews.com/article/expresident/how-to-leave-the-catholic-church

I know somebody who asked to be ex-communicated and actually was.

You are still in the church even if excommunicated. All it means is you don't have the right to receive certain sacraments but are still meant to comply with the rules.

What rules?

It is being damned if it does and if it doesn't. You can leave by not going but there is not a central database from which you are removed

Priests record it themselves and have to report it, I think at least to the diocese. https://classroom.synonym.com/how-to-get-a-copy-of-a-catholic-baptism-record-12084309.html

When my child was baptized it was made clear to me they were being baptized as a Christian not as a Catholic or Anglican.

Was one of you Catholic and one some other denomination? Or one of you not keen on Catholicism, like my mum only got married in a Catholic Church to please her mum? Otherwise I don't see why they would say it like that.

They do believe it does seal you as one of the Church (by implication, the Catholic church, but all baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit supposedly does the trick) There's the assumption that you'll carry on being Catholic.

Confirmation makes you a full participant.

I suppose just not following major rules of avoiding what they consider to be sins etc kind of takes you out of the Church anyway, as you're not in communion with it anymore.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/10/22/want-leave-catholic-church-officially-you-cant/#

This other then wedding and funerals I have not been in a church since I started secondary.

You are still in the church even if excommunicated. All it means is you don't have the right to receive certain sacraments but are still meant to comply with the rules

What rules?

I'dve thought all of them. Supposedly the person in theory still should obey the rule of going to Mass for instance, but as the PP said, an excommunicated person can't take Communion.

Excommunication isn't usually for life nowadays, if the person stops doing the thing they were excommunicated for, and repents. It's more 'medicinal' to encourage the person to behave.

Things life going to mass on Sunday, but you're not allowed communion.

“Dear Vicar/priest/religious leader. I won’t be coming any more”. Surely you don’t need to make a big song and dance about it.

OP I just don't understand why you want to "formally" leave.

Can you explain why this is so important ?

We just don't go, well only for hatches, matches and dispatches. You don't need to do anything else.

😂Love this and must remember it!