Apostasy

Apostasy (from apo, away from, and histemi, to stand) is the formal, complete abandonment of the Christian faith: not merely heterodox belief (heresy) or broken communion (schism) but the rejection of Christianity itself. In canonical law, the apostate is outside the Church and subject to specific disciplinary and pastoral responses distinct from those applied to heretics or schismatics. The distinction matters for the economy of reception: different modes of reception apply to different categories of departure from the faith.