I admit I'm not sure where this goes. But, I'm putting it here. Basically, Cardinal Burke mentioned this in passing regarding the Pennsylvania Grand Jury news . It's an old rite, but, still on the books as you might say. It is...hair raising...and makes me wonder if any Anglican province would or should consider it if something similar came to light . It's not just defrocked. It's literally undoing ordination. Going backwards. Quote "They start to work on you by stripping you of all the symbols of your office, and even scrape your hands with a glass shard or knife to get the chrism off." http://wdtprs.com/blog/2018/08/the-...m-the-order-of-priesthood-wherein-fr-z-rants/
Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that inquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed. I guess then we slam them on social media!
Oh, if you read the notes, the praenatoreum, it's meant to be in flipping public. It recommends preparing as big and public a place as possible. I'd say social media and television would be conpletely accepted for this rite. The Latin: Poterit tamen (quod convenientius videtur) ad aliorum terrorem actualis degradatio sic fieri. In primis in publico extra Ecclesiam paratur aliquis eminens congruentis spatii locus, pro degradatione facienda… The English: However, there could be (as it is considered to me more appropriate) an active degradation, performed thusly. Firstly, some prominent place with enough space is to be prepared in public, outside of the church, for carrying out the degradation… This rite was not for minor errors. It was meant to send a message and terrify. It has statements like the following in the rite: Annulum, fidei scilicet signaculum, tibi digne subtrahimus, quia ipsam sponsam Dei Ecclesiam temere violasti. Then the Degrader Bishop takes away the ring from the finger of the Degradandus, saying thusly: The ring, namely the sign of fidelity, we worthily withdraw from you, because you thoughtlessly violated your very Spouse, the Church of God.
Yeah the Roman Catholics took the Rite of Degradation out too, dating back to the 1860s if I'm not mistaken. It's too bad. The reason it's in the news now, I think, is because Cardinal Burke recently mentioned it in the context of the sodomy/pedophilia abuse scandals ravaging through the clergy ranks: https://hillyannet.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/the-rite-of-degredation/