Who May Lift Excommunication

If the lifting of the excommunication is reserved to the Apostolic See, then no bishop other than the pope may lift it.

If the lifting of the penalty is not reserved to the Apostolic See, then the Code of Canon Law addresses the two types of penalties that might exist.

Canon 1355 deals with laws that were issued by Apostolic See:

• If the excommunication was imposed by decree, then the ordinary who imposed it is the proper person to lift the excommunication. However, if the person under the penalty now resides somewhere else, the local ordinary there may lift the penalty after consulting with the ordinary who issued the decree. Note that in these circumstances only an ordinary may lift the penalty, not just any bishop.
• If the excommunication was automatic (i.e., latae sententiae) and not declared, then any bishop can lift the penalty within the sacrament of confession.

Canon 1356 addresses laws issued not by the Apostolic See but by other Church authorities:

• Either the ordinary where the person now lives or the ordinary who imposed the penalty may lift the penalty. If the local ordinary is different from the ordinary who penalized the individual, then the penalizing ordinary must be consulted prior to the lifting of the penalty.
• There is no option for the penalty in these circumstances to be removed within confession by any other bishop.