Usually ‘secular’ means not religious or under the influence of religion or of a church.
However, when applied to clergy, ‘secular’ means ‘living in the ordinary world’ rather than in a religious community with other clergy in e.g. a monastery. A ‘secular cleric’ is directly under the authority of a diocesan bishop rather than that of a head of a religious order such as the Jesuits or Redemptorists.

Views: 83