What was the result of the laicization of the church?

Looked at historically, laicization is the final outcome of what was formerly called “secularization”, i.e., the hostile action of the secular power, which has successively despoiled the Church of the prerogatives she enjoyed in European society as molded by the influence of Christianity for centuries.

What does the term laicization mean in canon law?

LAICIZATION (LOSS OF THE CLERICAL STATE) In canon law, laicization is an act by legitimate authority that takes away from a cleric the lawful use, except for emergencies, of the power of orders; deprives him of his rights, privileges, and clerical status; and renders him juridically equivalent to a lay person.

Why was there no laicization in the 1917 Code?

1917 Code of Canon Law. There were no commonly known procedures for voluntary departure or laicization in the 1917 code. One reason may be that dispensations from the priestly vow of celibacy were not granted. Prior to 1970, the law and the practice for a laicized priest was that he retain his obligation to celibacy.

How does laicization affect the power of orders?

Church law clearly points out that laicization in no way affects the power of orders, not even those that are clearly of ecclesiastical origin; rather, the action touches on the lawful use of the power of orders.

What does laicization mean for the Catholic Church?

Laicization involves cessation of all the rights of the clerical state. It also ceases all obligations of the clerical state, except for the obligation of celibacy. Dispensation from the obligation of celibacy can only be granted by the pope, except in ordinations that have been declared invalid, in which case no dispensation is necessary.

When did Pope Benedict XVI finalize the process of laicization?

On January 30, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI conceded to the Congregation for the Clergy the Special Faculty to handle and present to the Holy Father for his approval cases of dismissal from the clerical state with dispensation from all obligations including celibacy. Below is the document followed by comments from two transitioned priests.

What happens to a priest when he is laicized?

He clarified that when this happens, it doesn’t mean that a priest is no longer a priest: “the sacrament of Holy Orders isn’t lost; it imprints an ontological sign on the being of the priest that can never be lost.”

When did the Catholic Church laicize the Archbishop of Lusaka?

The laicization of bishops is unusual. In 2009, the church laicized Emmanuel Milingo, a former exorcist, faith healer, and archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, who had already been excommunicated from the church three years earlier. Milingo had threatened to form a breakaway church without a rule of priestly celibacy, and had himself married.