: of or relating to a pope or to the Roman Catholic Church
also
: resembling a pope or that of a pope
Examples of papal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ed Simon on the history of papal encyclicals.
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Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
The Vatican authorized Esperanto for liturgical use decades ago, and Radio Vaticana still publishes news and papal updates in Esperanto online three times a week.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
The Pope also used his letter to issue the strongest papal condemnation of anti-migrant politics in years, sharply criticize modern capitalism and suggest climate destruction is a moral crime against the poor.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Leo, the 14th pope to choose that name, cited centuries of prior papal teachings on social justice issues before addressing the ethics of AI systems.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for papal
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Literary Hub, 29 May 2026
The Vatican authorized Esperanto for liturgical use decades ago, and Radio Vaticana still publishes news and papal updates in Esperanto online three times a week.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
The Pope also used his letter to issue the strongest papal condemnation of anti-migrant politics in years, sharply criticize modern capitalism and suggest climate destruction is a moral crime against the poor.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Leo, the 14th pope to choose that name, cited centuries of prior papal teachings on social justice issues before addressing the ethics of AI systems.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for papal
Cite this Entry
“Papal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papal. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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