Concept in Definition ABC

When a person renounces his religious beliefs and makes a decision to separate from a church or creed, an apostasy occurs. This term is normally used in the religious context and etymologically comes from the Greek (the prefix apo means to separate from and stasis means rebellion).

Therefore, the individual who freely dissociates himself from a belief religious becomes an apostate.

In the context of Catholicism

A significant part of Catholics fully identify with the doctrine of the church. However, in some cases personal convictions collide with official doctrine and this circumstance leads to a personal estrangement.

On the other hand, Catholics do not always approve of certain behaviors or manifestations of the official clergy and this causes them a disappointment or a loss of faith. In any case, it is possible to renounce the Catholicism, although in practice it is a very rare option.

Taking as a reference and example how it works in Argentina

Argentina is a traditionally Catholic country and most of the

population she has been baptized. The minutes Baptism makes a person officially Catholic. However, if an adult wants to withdraw from the church, he can do so as long as he complies with a series of procedures.

The first requirement is to submit a letter to the diocese. In its content it is not necessary to present any type of justification or reflection on the renunciation of the Catholic faith and it is enough to indicate that one wants to modify the baptism records and unsubscribe. In the letter you must specify the data related to the baptism (mainly date of baptism and the church where it was performed). The letter is mailed or delivered in person.

In principle, the letter must receive a favorable response within a few days. If for any reason a notification does not arrive, the apostate candidate should contact the diocese to consult the process. Another possibility is to report the lack of response to the National Directorate for the Protection of Personal Data.

If there is a favorable response, the interested party has to appear in the diocese to prove his true identity. After this procedure, a certification official in which the apostasy is recognized and in this way the processing of the entire procedure is concluded. On the Collective Apostasy website you can consult any type of doubt or clarification.

Obviously it is not a procedure as simple as closing an account of email or Facebook but not as complex as filing annual tax returns.

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Themes in Apostasy