Interdict (redirected from Papal Interdiction)

interdict (ĭn`tərdĭkt), ecclesiastical censure notably used in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Middle Ages. When a parish, state, or nation is placed under the interdict no public church ceremony may take place, only certain sacraments, especially baptism, may be administered, and the dead may not receive Christian burial. The interdict is used to sway public opinion and to force action. A famous example was the interdict placed upon England during the reign of King John by Innocent III in 1208.

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interdict

1. RC Church the exclusion of a person or all persons in a particular place from certain sacraments and other benefits, although not from communion

2. Civil law any order made by a court or official prohibiting an act

3. Scots law an order having the effect of an injunction

4. Roman history

a. an order of a praetor commanding or forbidding an act

b. the procedure by which this order was sought

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Interdict 

a form of ecclesiastical pressure or punishment in the Catholic Church; a temporary ban placed by the pope (or sometimes by a bishop) on worship and religious ceremonies (excluding excommunication from the church) within a particular area (a local interdict). Sometimes it is placed on particular people and is known as a personal interdict. It was used widely in the 11th and 12th centuries (less frequently beginning with the 13th century) and was a powerful weapon in exerting pressure on sovereigns and feudal lords and in the war against heresy.lt has lost its former significance but still remains part of canon law.