In all confessional bodies, excommunication means the separation of Christians from the ecclesiastical community [6. Art. I, Nr. 1]. Excommunicates lose their rights of membership while their obligations to the church remain. It does not mean exclusion from the church, because the membership bestowed on Christians through baptism (Sacrament) cannot be revoked. It is the most severe punishment available to the church [3. § 863]. Therefore excommunication repr…