ACATTOLICÓ. — By a., according to the etymology (privative à and καθόλιλος), is understood anyone who is not Catholic; hence: 1) in the broad sense, not only baptized non-Catholics, but also all those who are more properly called «infidels» (v); 2) in the strict sense, all those who, although they have received baptism and therefore call themselves Christians, nevertheless do not profess the Catholic faith or are separated from it (heretics, schismatics, apostates; cf. CIC, can. 1325).
The fundamental principles of Canon Law concerning baptized a. are the following: 1) they are in themselves bound to observe the canonical laws of the Church that concern the common good (e.g. the laws concerning matrimonial impediments), because whoever is baptized is a person of the Church (can. 87), and although he may be deprived of certain rights on account of heresy or schism or as a penalty, he is not thereby released from the duties incumbent upon Christians. 2) Per accidens, however, they are excused from observing certain canonical laws, inasmuch as either they are positively exempted from them (e.g. from the Catholic form of marriage, except for the children of a. baptized in the Catholic Church: CIC, c. 1099, § 2, and the modification introduced by AAS, 40 [1948] p. 305), or they are excluded from the faculty of performing certain acts (e.g. receiving the sacraments without first abjuring their errors and being reconciled with the Church). When it is a question of the precepts of the Church that concern personal sanctification, such as those of abstinence, fasting, attending Mass on the prescribed days, etc., the opinion that baptized a. are exempt from them may practically be regarded as probable (A. Vermeersch-J. Creusen, Epit. Jur. Can., I, 6th ed., Rome 1937, no. 106; G. Frassinetti, Compendio della Teal. mor., 11th ed., Turin 1938, note 7 to no. 30), although others (e.g. F. Cappello, Summa Iur. publ. Eccl., 4th ed., Rome 1943, no. 280) deny this.
Finally, can. 1350 prescribes that the care of baptized a. who are found in diocesan or parochial territories belongs to the ordinaries and parish priests; whereas, for those residing in territories not yet divided into dioceses and parishes, all care belongs to the Apostolic See. (v. APOSTASIA; CULTI AMMESSI; DISPARITÀ DI CULTO; ERESIA; INFEDELI; MATRIMONIO; MISSIONOLOGIA; MISTA; SCISMA).
For relations between Catholics and a., V. COMUNICAZIONE NELLE COSE SACRE.