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Ipso facto is a Latin phrase, directly translated as by that very fact (as in therefore...). It is a term of art used in philosophy and law.
In law, it describes things that occur "by operation of law"; for example, if property is held in a tenancy by the entireties by a husband and wife, who then get divorced, the property is ipso facto converted into another form of tenancy, usually a tenancy in common, at the very instant the marriage is dissolved. Likewise, contracts that define partnerships sometimes provide that the partnership is ipso facto dissolved if one partner or the other attempts to sell their interest in the partnership. In all of these situations, when one legally significant act occurs, other relationships are automatically changed by virtue of that act alone.
Aside from its technical uses, it occurs frequently in literature, particularly in scholarly addenda: e.g., "Faustus had signed his life away, and was, ipso facto, incapable of repentance." (re: Marlowe, Dr. Faustus.) It has even appeared a pop song, namely Something To Talk About by Badly Drawn Boy.
Religious Derivation of Term
Ipso facto can be used in a religious context to denote an individual guilty of specified actions considered unlawful by a committee resulting in removal of membership from said religious body. Dismissal ipso facto is automatic in these type of cases.
Within the Catholic Faith; apostasy can result in such an ipso facto discharge. Dismissal ipso facto is a legitimate means utilized by a religious body to insulate itself from what it deems as destructive conduct.
See also
"Ipso facto"