Suspension (canonical penalty)

Suspension, in canon law, according to Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, is usually defined as a censure or punishment, by which a priest or cleric is deprived, entirely or partially, of the use of the power of orders, office, or benefice.

When a suspension is total, a cleric is deprived of the exercise of every function and of every ecclesiastical rite, and can also be temporarily deprived of Communion. The principal grounds on which suspension is incurred in the present discipline of the Church are found in the Decrees of the Council of Trent.