Church penalties

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains in this lecture the meaning of ecclesial penalties and the origin of the Church’s authority to impose penalties, affirming that this authority was given by the Lord Christ to the apostles and that it is tied to the spiritual responsibility to protect the sanctity of the congregation.

Source and authority

• The Church’s authority in punishment is based on Gospel texts (Matthew 18 and John 20:23) and the practice of the apostolic fathers who sometimes exercised severe penalties (such as the case of Ananias and Sapphira and Simon the sorcerer).

• Punishment is not revenge but a means to preserve holiness and spiritual discipline in the community.

General rules in penalties

• Two basic rules: do not impose two penalties at once for a single sin, and no judgment without trial.

• The exception lies in compound crimes or heresy where harsher penalties may be applied.

• The higher the person’s rank or the more sacred the occasion, the greater the gravity of the sin and the larger the penalty.

Types of penalties and procedures

• Penalties range from suspension from a sacrament or service to general suspension from all sacraments, then trial, and may reach laicization or removal from the priesthood or exclusion from the community of believers.

• The trial is conducted by hearing witnesses and giving an opportunity for defense, taking into account the accuracy of evidence and avoiding haste.

Historical and liturgical examples

• The early church was very strict in applying penalties to preserve the fear of the people (examples: Ananias and Sapphira, the sorcerers struck with blindness).

• There were liturgical practices such as preventing the punished from entering the church, not accepting their offerings, and having distinct choirs/areas (khurūs) for the penitent, the participants, and the saints inside and outside the sanctuary.

Spiritual and educational dimension from a Coptic Orthodox perspective

• Ecclesial penalty aims at correcting the sinner and exposing the sin, not destroying the person, and it works in a balance between justice and mercy.

• Emphasis that the penitent who repents is considered, and the duration of a penalty may be mitigated by the conscience of confession and the guidance of the spiritual father.

• The necessity that penalties be applied with spiritual wisdom not worldly impulsiveness, while preserving the responsibility of the priest and shepherd for the care of souls.

Brief conclusion
The lecture affirms that ecclesial penalties have Gospel roots and a corrective purpose, and calls for their application after a fair trial and spiritual wisdom, with a tendency toward compassion and providing the opportunity for repentance and return to the community.

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