Which of the following correctly describes the penalties of excommunication, interdict, and suspension?

• A. Interdict restricts sacraments in a territory; excommunication excludes from sacramental participation; suspension prohibits a cleric from sacred orders
• B. Excommunication excludes from sacramental participation; interdict restricts sacraments in a territory; suspension prohibits a cleric from sacred orders
• C. Excommunication is minor; interdict has no territorial effect; suspension is civil penalty
• D. All are civil penalties

Answer: (B)

The penalties are distinguished by their scope and what they affect in a person’s relationship with the Church. Excommunication is a personal penalty that cuts the individual off from sacramental participation—the person cannot receive the sacraments while under this censure. Interdict is a territorial penalty that restricts the administration of most sacraments within a defined territory, such as a diocese or parish, without completely cutting the person off from the Church’s life. Suspension is a clerical penalty that deprives the offender of the right to exercise the powers of his sacred ministry, i.e., the acts proper to Holy Orders, for a period or permanently.

So the best description is: excommunication excludes from sacramental participation; interdict restricts sacraments in a territory; suspension prohibits a cleric from sacred orders. The other options mix up territorial reach, the severity or nature of the penalties, or label them as civil penalties, which isn’t accurate in canon law.