That is church law mumbo jumbo. The absolution given in confession is absolute. You just have to find a priest willing to offer you absolution (which could be

That is church law mumbo jumbo. The absolution given in confession is absolute. You just have to find a priest willing to offer you absolution (which could be an orthodox priest by Catholic doctrine), and either way, if you're on your deathbed, the priest must give you last rites, which will have the same effect. The whole not-being-able-to-receive-communion thing is just an administrative punishment. While the church can make policies regarding various things, it cannot remove the efficacious power of the sacraments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excommunication_in_the_Catholic_Church#Absolution_from_excommunication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excommunication_in_the_Catholi... > If for any reason the absolution from the censure is invalid, or is not given at all, nevertheless, provided the penitent is rightly disposed, his sins will always be forgiven in the sacrament of confession