Defrock (pronounced dee-frok)
(1) To remove
a frock.
(2) To
deprive a person in holy orders of ecclesiastical status.
(3) As
informal slang (by extension), formally to remove the rights and authority of
someone, eg a medical practitioner or lawyer.
1575-1585:
From the fifteenth century French défroquer
(unfrock), the construct being dé (partially
inherited from the Old and Middle French des,
inherited from the Classical Latin dis
(apart), the ultimate root being the primitive Indo-European dwís, and partially borrowed from the Latin
dē (from), in some cases + froc (from the Middle French frocq (cloth made of coarse wool), from the
Old French froc (compare Late Latin hroccus (frock)) from the Frankish hrokk
(robe, tunic), from the Proto-Germanic hrukkaz
(robe, garment, cowl), a variant of rukkaz
(upper garment, smock, shirt), from the primitive Indo-European rug (upper clothes, shirt) which was cognate
with the Old High German hroch & roc (tunic, smock, jersey) (German rock), the Old Saxon rok (mantle, jacket), and the Old
English rocc (over-garment, jacket).
For literalists: Lindsay Lohan in black frock (left) & after de-frocking (right).
Laicization
Defrocking, sometimes called unfrocking (there’s nothing in the etymological record to suggest de-frock or un-frock has ever had currency) is the act of denying an ordained member of the clergy the right to practice ministry. The procedure differs between Christian denominations (although, for technical reasons, is rare and often impossible in Anglicanism) and is most often applied to the Roman Catholic Church although, as a point of law, it does not overturn ordination. Although the term defrock is widely used to describe the process whereby members of the Catholic Church clergy are dismissed from the clerical state, the term doesn’t exist in canon law and is never used by the Vatican, clerical expulsion instead known as laicization. Unlike the more common suspension, which can be reversed upon repentance, laicization is a permanent and final measure although it’s not always imposed as a punishment (Latin: ad poenam) and may granted at the request of a priest (Latin: pro gratia). Although criticized for not having done enough during his pontificate to ensure sinful priests were defrocked, regulations authorized by Benedict XVI (1927–2022; pope 2005-2013, pope emeritus 2013-2022) in 2009 did simplify the process which, unchanged for centuries, could take more than a decade.
The
defrocking by the Holy See followed McCarrick’s trial before the Inquisition
(then called The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)) in which he
was found guilty of "solicitation in the Sacrament of Confession, and sins
against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating
factor of the abuse of power". The Inquisition rejected an appeal against the judgement and sent the papers to the pope,
who, as the Holy See’s chief magistrate, certified the verdict as res iudicata (no further appeal
possible). Under canon law, ordination cannot be excised so McCarrick remains a priest but is barred
from performing any priestly duties except in one exceptional case: he may
administer the last rites to the dying if no other priest is available.
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