__NOTOC__ The phrase "bell, book, and candle" refers to a

Latin Christian The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 ''sui iuris'' churches in full communion wi ...

method of

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...

anathema The word anathema has two main meanings. One is to describe that something or someone is being hated or avoided. The other refers to a formal excommunication by a Christian denomination, church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where a ...

, imposed on a person who had committed an exceptionally grievous

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

. Evidently introduced by

Pope Zachary Pope Zachary (; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death in March 752. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of sla ...

around the middle of the 8th century,Joseph Gignac, "Anathema" in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York 1907)
/ref> the rite was once used by the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

Ritual

The ceremony was described in the Pontificale Romanum until the time of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. Subsequent post-conciliar editions of the Pontificale omitted mention of any particular solemnities associated with excommunication. The ceremony traditionally involved a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, with 12

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s bearing candles, and would solemnly be pronounced in some suitably conspicuous place. The bishop would then pronounce the formula of the anathema, which ends with the following words: In English: After this recitation the priests would respond: ''Fiat, fiat, fiat'' ("So be it! So be it! So be it!") The bishop would then ring a

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, close a

holy book Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

, and he and the assisting priests would snuff out their

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

s by dashing them to the ground. However, the rite of anathema described in the ''Pontificale Romanum'' calls only for the candles to be dashed to the ground. After the ritual, written notices would be sent to the neighbouring bishops and priests reporting that the target had been anathematized and why he had been anathematized; subsequently the bishops' and priests' constituents would hold no communication with the target. This form of excommunication was inflicted on

Robert II of France Robert II ( 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious () or the Wise (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his father on military matters ...

Pope Gregory V Pope Gregory V (; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor Otto III. Family ...

for his marriage to

Bertha of Burgundy Bertha of Burgundy (964 – 16 January 1010) was Queen consort of the Franks as the second wife of King Robert II. Bertha was the daughter of King Conrad of Burgundy Stefan Weinfurter, ''The Salian Century: Main Currents in an Age of Transitio ...

in the year 996, because Bertha was his second cousin. He was later reconciled with the Church after negotiations with Gregory's successor Pope Silvester II.Lea, Henry C.
Studies in Church History: The Rise of the Temporal Power
pp. 339ff, Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, 1869.

Ritual

References

Further reading