Definition of papacy
papacies
1 : the office of pope
2 : a succession or line of popes
3 : the term of a pope's reign
4 capitalized : the system of government of the Roman Catholic Church of which the pope is the supreme head
From the M-W Editors
Examples of papacy in a Sentence
He was selected by the cardinals for the papacy.
Recent Examples of papacy from the Web
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Francis removed the cardinal from power in 2013, eight months into his papacy.
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Dr. Navarro-Valls was working as Rome correspondent for the Spanish daily ABC in 1984 when John Paul, then six years into his papacy, persuaded him to oversee the Vatican media operations.
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Read more here, and read about America’s changing perceptions of the papacy here.
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The Argentine Jesuit, who has emphasized the church’s merciful face during his four-year papacy, recalled Mazzolari’s exhortation that a priest’s job isn’t to demand perfection from the faithful, but to encourage them to do their best.
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Francis in his papacy has repeatedly denounced trafficking and the exploitation of children.
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There’s no central governing structure similar to the papacy in the Roman Catholic Church.
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The child of an Italian immigrant to Argentina, Francis has made humility a distinguishing feature of his papacy.
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Perhaps the most famous example of that is the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation, named for the papacy, which was moved from Rome to Avignon for a period of time in the 14th century.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'papacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of papacy
Middle English papacie, from Medieval Latin papatia, from Late Latin papa pope — more at pope
Other Christian Religious Terms
PAPACY Defined for English Language Learners
papacy
playDefinition of papacy for English Language Learners
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the papacy : the office or position of the pope
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: the time when a particular pope is in power
Learn More about papacy
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about papacy
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