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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.