Anticlerical

/ˌæntɪˈklɪrɪkəl/ adjective

Definition

Opposed to the power, influence, or privileges of clergy; advocating for separation of church and state.

Etymology

From anti- (against) + clerical (from Latin clericalis). Became prominent in European political movements of the 18th-19th centuries opposing church authority.

Kelly Says

Anticlerical movements swept through Europe when people demanded that priests stop controlling schools and laws—it's about limiting religious institutional power in government and society.

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