laicizare

Laicizare, anglicized as laicization, is the process of making something secular or removing clerical status from a person or institution. In religious contexts it often refers to a clerical transition to lay status, while in political or social contexts it denotes the separation of church from state and the broader secularization of public life and institutions.

In ecclesiastical law, laicization denotes the canonical removal of a cleric from the clerical state. A laicized priest or other cleric is forbidden to perform priestly functions or celebrate sacraments; the individual is returned to the lay state and loses the rights and duties associated with ordination. The precise procedures and effects can vary depending on rite, jurisdiction, and specific church law.

In a broader sense, laicization can describe policies that reduce church influence in government, education, and civil life. Such policies may involve the separation of church and state, secular control of education and public institutions, or the redistribution or nationalization of church property. Laicization can be pursued voluntarily or imposed through legislation or state policy, and it is often a point of political and social debate.

Etymology-wise, the term derives from Latin laicus and French laïque, meaning lay or secular. Related concepts include secularization, church-state separation, and defrocking (in canonical usage). The concept encompasses both the personal dimension (clerics becoming laypersons) and the institutional dimension (religious influence in public life becoming more limited).