Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of rendering lay, or of depriving of a clerical character; removal from clerical rank, influence, or control.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of laicizing

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability. org said laicization is a strong statement against the priest and a validation of victims, which is important because most cases are too old to go to civil or criminal court.

    Abusive priests: To defrock or not? U.S. Catholics debate 2010

  • One knock on laicization is that the church and former priest cut ties, meaning an abuser would be free of all church supervision.

    Abusive priests: To defrock or not? U.S. Catholics debate 2010

  • According to Church law, a man who is allowed to leave the priesthood, under a procedure known as a laicization, must receive a separate dispensation from the vow of celibacy from the Pope.

    Checking out media portrayal of the Milingo question Argent 2006

  • Defrocking, or what the Roman Catholic Church prefers to call laicization, is applied rarely, in extreme cases of misconduct.

    Priest at center of sex scandal is defrocked 2004

  • The Vatican's attorney in the U.S., Jeffrey Lena of Berkeley, Calif., has said the documents show the Vatican was not aware of allegations against Ronan until church officials in the U.S. moved to remove him from his priestly duties, a process known as laicization.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's Feb. 19, 1988, letter shows he complained officially that church law made it exceedingly difficult to remove abusers if they didn't request so-called laicization voluntarily.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2010

  • Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's Feb. 19, 1988, letter shows he complained officially that church law made it exceedingly difficult to remove abusers if they didn't request so-called laicization voluntarily.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2010

  • Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's Feb. 19, 1988, letter shows he complained officially that church law made it exceedingly difficult to remove abusers if they didn't request so-called laicization voluntarily.

    StarTribune.com rss feed 2010

  • Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's Feb. 19, 1988, letter shows he complained officially that church law made it exceedingly difficult to remove abusers if they didn't request so-called laicization voluntarily.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2010

  • Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's Feb. 19, 1988, letter shows he complained officially that church law made it exceedingly difficult to remove abusers if they didn't request so-called laicization voluntarily.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2010

Comments

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  • “Laicization — or removing a priest from the priesthood — was what Father Fitzgerald recommended for many abusive priests to bishops and Pope Paul VI.�?

    The New York Times, Early Alarm for Church on Abusers in the Clergy, by Laurie Goodstein, April 2, 2009

    April 3, 2009

  • Interesting, a layperson is one who is not a member of a clergy, and this word reflects that.

    April 3, 2009

  • In that (excellent) article, it's also spelled layization, but I think I like this spelling better. Odd, though—I would've thought the word were something like disordination.

    April 3, 2009

  • Dismantled, as Stoppard suggested?

    April 3, 2009

  • I like disordainment, but there's no good reason for that one either.

    April 3, 2009

  • The word I prefer (because it better conveys the notion of punishment and not just moving from one status to another) is defrock (and the corresponding verbal noun defrocking). Though perhaps we should worry about priests accused of child molesting being stripped of their frocks.

    April 3, 2009

  • Rolig, just posted almost the same comment and then saw yours. Most priests don't wear frocks these days anyway, so I'm guessing that's why "laicize" is more widely used. But I'll stick with defrock.

    April 4, 2009

  • They *should* wear frocks. They're stylin'.

    p.s. priests in general, I mean.

    April 4, 2009

  • Priests' frocks in general, you mean? Those are stylin'.

    April 4, 2009

  • Ooh! I loves me a good discussion of ecclesiastical haberdashery.

    April 4, 2009

  • GEORGE: What happened to the old Archbishop?

    DOTTY: He abdicated . . . or resigned or uncoped himself—

    GEORGE (thoughtfully): Dis-mantled himself, perhaps.

    —Stoppard, Jumpers

    April 5, 2009