Chapter 26: Unlawful association with the excommunicated 

If any member of the community presumes without the permission of the abbot or abbess to associate in any way or speak or give instructions to one who has been excommunicated then that person should receive exactly the same punishment of excommunication. (Ch. 26 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)

I've had to learn -- the hard way -- that good communication (or my idea of it) is not necessarily the pinnacle of human relationship. Love, patience, kindness, prayer -- the fruits of the Spirit -- create the kingdom of God on earth.