What do Fidel Castro , Henry VIII , and Napoleon have in common ? apart from their preference for power and natty chapeau , they have all been excommunicated .
censure is the rough punishment available to the Roman Catholic Church , and fundamentally means that the excommunicated person must be ostracize by their community and , unless they clean up their turn , they will probably be go to Hell . moderately strong stuff .
criminal offense that justify excommunication include physically attacking the Pope , violating the seal of confession ( if one is a non-Christian priest ) , or steal the host for a sacrilegious design . However , the most coarse reason for excision is heresy , which — as you will see from the succeed instances — can come in many guises .
1. FIDEL CASTRO
Fidel Castro was excommunicated in 1962 by Pope John XXIII , some say on the basis of a 1949 decree which forbade Catholics from becoming Communists . ( Other bookman say Castro was excommunicated for inciting violence against bishops , while still othersquestionwhether the censure technically occurred at all . ) In any effect , Castro had long suppressed the Catholic Church in Cuba , even going so far as to ban Christmas in 1968 . However , the excommunication did not arrest Castro from meeting Pope John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Francis in 2015 .
2. HENRY VIII
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Henry VIII spent the first part of his reign very tight to the Catholic Church , but thing occur to a head when he require an abrogation of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he might marry Anne Boleyn . The last chaff came when Henry melt the monasteries , violate their holy relic , and right away name himself Supreme Head of the Church of England . Not surprisingly , Pope Paul III excommunicated Henry in 1538 .
3. MARTIN LUTHER
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Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1521 after he refused to resile his dissident teachings , which fomented the Protestant Reformation . It did n’t help that he publically burn a immense great deal of Catholic books and call Pope Leo X “ the Antichrist . ”
4. JOAN OF ARC
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Joan of Arc famously dressed as a human race to lead the French army to victory over the English during the Hundred Years War . Later caught and handed over to the foe , she was unchurch and burned at the interest by a pro - English Bishop in 1431 for heresy and cross - dressing . In 1456 ( and a bit belated for poor Joan ) , Pope Callixtus III held a re - trial and cleared her of all charge . She was declared a martyr , canonise , and became Saint Joan of Arc .
5. HENRY IV OF FRANCE
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Though baptized as a Catholic , Henry IV was erect as a Hugenot , and thus was excommunicate as a heretic in 1585 by Pope Clement VIII while still heir to the commode . In an other predecessor to today ’s political toss - flopping , Henry IV later converted back to Catholicism to batten down the Gallic pate , and his excommunication was lifted .
6. QUEEN ELIZABETH I
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After the 16th century Protestant Reformation , Elizabeth I follow her father Henry VIII ’s lead and continued to reign the Church of England as its heading , effectively seize the Pope . In a desperate bid to return errant England to the papal fold , in 1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I. This manoeuvre show unsuccessful , and nearly 500 years later England ’s current milkweed butterfly , Elizabeth II , is still head of the Church of England .
7. JUAN PERÓN
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Juan Perón served three terms as President of Argentina . In 1955 , he enraged the Catholic Church by attempting to legalize divorce and prostitution , and by oust two Catholic priests he thought had been distribute malicious hearsay about his alleged affair with an nonaged missy . Unable to push Perón to retain Catholic values , the Christian church leaders reverted to their last resort and excommunicated him .
8. NAPOLEON
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Napoleon , always a penetrating empire - builder , was excommunicated by Pope Pius VII in 1809 after occupying and annexing Rome . Napoleon did not take kindly to this affront and had Pope Pius kidnapped . The ailing Bishop of Rome was keep captive for five long , uncomfortable year — haul around Napoleon ’s imperium and pressured into yielding papal powers . Pius VII had the last laugh , however , when Napoleon was expel and exiled in 1814 and Pius made a triumphant return to Rome .
