Full Question
I occasionally hear about the Church imposing a “censure.” What is that?
Answer
A censure is a type of penalty imposed by the Church. Imposition of such a penalty is intended to motivate a change in behavior and to reintegrate an offending party back into the Church. For this reason a censure is called a medicinal penalty (CIC 1312) as opposed to an expiatory penalty that is compensatory in nature.
