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'''Deposition''' is the removal of a man from [[clergy|clerical]] office and return to the rank of [[laity|layman]]. When a cleric is deposed, he is no longer a member of the [[clergy ]] and may not function in that role. Deposition is performed only by the [[bishop|episcopacy]], and it is often the [[canon law|canonical penalty]] for committing acts of immorality or disobedience.
Clerics may be deposed by means of a formal, canonical process via a [[Ecclesiastical court|spiritual court]], but they may also be deposed by more "existential" means, e.g., by [[apostasy|leaving 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 of [[ordination]] does not teach that an "indelible mark" is conferred as in [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman 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 the [[bishop ]] (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 from [[laicization]] in 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, ''defrocking'' is 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).
[[Category:Canon Law]]
[[Category:Clergy]]
[[ro:Depunere]]
