Stripped the status of a member of the clergy (8)
I believe the answer is:
laicised
'stripped the status of a member of the clergy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for laicised that I've seen before include "Ideal, sic to be removed from priesthood" , "Deprived of priesthood, reduced to secular state" , "Of priest, returned to secular status" , "Stripped the status of a member of the clergy" .)