Later, excommunication have why do people get excommunicate become surely associated with the Sacrament of Penance.  At this time, the Sacrament of Penance became usually received as soon as.  Seeking forgiveness, critical sinners presented themselves to the bishop, who assigned them to a category of penitents (ordo paenitentium).  The penitents were liturgically excommunicated from the Church and assigned to perform a penance, which generally lasted weeks, even months.  Once the penance changed into finished, the bishop formally lifted the excommunication, absolved the sinners, and welcomed them back into full communion with the Church.  By the 7th century, the Sacrament of Penance became repeatable and have become more as we know it nowadays, at the same time as the idea of excommunication became a intense Church penalty imposed for handiest the most severe offenses.  Nevertheless, the lifting of the penalty of excommunication still turned into related with the making of a very good sacramental confession and the reception of absolution.

The Code of Canon Law (1983) specifies that an excommunicated character is forbidden to take part in a ministerial potential (celebrant, lector, etc.) within the Sacrifice of the Mass or in another shape of public worship; to rejoice or to acquire the sacraments; to have a good time the sacramentals; to exercising any ecclesiastical office or ministry; and to trouble any act of governance (#1331.1).  An excommunicated person also can not be acquired right into a public association of the Christian faithful (#316.1).