Deposition

Depositionis the removal of a man fromclericaloffice and return to the rank oflayman.When a cleric is deposed, he is no longer a member of theclergyand may not function in that role. Deposition is performed only by theepiscopacy,and it is often thecanonical penaltyfor committing acts of immorality or disobedience.

Clerics may be deposed by means of a formal, canonical process via aspiritual court,but they may also be deposed by more "existential" means, e.g., byleaving the Church.In either case, any action on the part of the episcopacy is really just a recognition of the self-deposition that a man has taken upon himself by means of his actions.

Orthodox theology ofordinationdoes not teach that an "indelible mark" is conferred as inRoman Catholicism.Rather, because the function of the clergy is only within the context of the Church community and as an extension of the authority of thebishop(or in the case of a bishop, of the whole episcopacy), when a cleric is deposed, he is really no longer a clergyman.

Deposition is distinct fromlaicizationin that the latter is usually the result of a request by the cleric to be returned to the ranks of the laity. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, however. In addition,defrockingis sometimes used to refer to deposition, but this is less correct, as it reflects the Roman Catholic "indelible mark" theology (and thus, since a man is always a clergyman, he may only be "defrocked," i.e., no longer permitted to serve as a priest).

Being deposed is also distinct fromsuspensionin that it is a permanent revocation of the clerical office, while suspension means only that a cleric cannot serve for a temporary period.