papacy

noun pa·pa·cy \ ˈpā-pə-sē \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: papacy in a Sentence

Definition of papacy

plural 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

See papacy defined for English-language learners

See papacy defined for kids

Examples of papacy in a Sentence

He was selected by the cardinals for the papacy.

Recent Examples of papacy from the Web

Clothing has been such a flash point for debates around Francis’s papacy.

— jason farago, New York Times, "A Trinity of Opinions on the Met’s ‘Heavenly Bodies’," 20 May 2018
And so, five years after Pope Francis ascended to the papacy, what A Man of His Word does is convey the the pontiff’s message directly.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "'Pope Francis' arrives at Cannes Film Festival, reveals anger about sexual abuse crisis," 13 May 2018
With Thursday's ceremony, the College of Cardinals includes 74 named by Francis during his 5-year-old papacy.

— frances d'emilio, Fox News, "Pope, making new cardinals, hears Iraqi tell of martyrs," 28 June 2018
The letter was a welcome salve in the battle that has raged throughout Francis’s papacy thus far.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "The Vatican admits to doctoring photo that bolstered Pope Francis’s conservative cred," 19 Mar. 2018
Earlier in his papacy, while fielding questions from the Vatican press corps on a plane, he was asked about the Church’s stance on homosexuality.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Will Pope Francis Cause a Schism in the Catholic Church?," 7 Sep. 2015
Francis, who has used his papacy to champion the causes peace and justice, has often suggested that Christians can work closely together on humanitarian projects.

— Fox News, "Pope, in Geneva, says Christians can work together on peace," 22 June 2018
Francis has long made environmentalism a touchstone issue of his papacy.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Pope Francis condemns Trump’s family separation policy," 20 June 2018
Pope Francis has placed the issues facing migrants and refugees at the center of his papacy, urging countries to be welcoming even as that message faces the head winds of nationalism and border closures in the United States and across Europe.

— chico harlan and william branigin, Houston Chronicle, "Pope Francis criticizes Trump's family-separation policy, says 'populism is not the solution'," 20 June 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

PAPACY Defined for English Language Learners

papacy

noun

Definition of papacy for English Language Learners

the papacy : the office or position of the pope
: the time when a particular pope is in power

Learn More about papacy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about papacy

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up papacy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

papacy

Definition of papacy

Examples of papacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of papacy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of papacy

Other Christian Religious Terms

PAPACY Defined for English Language Learners

papacy

Definition of papacy for English Language Learners

Learn More about papacy

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

cerulean

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

A Deep Dive on 'Deep Dive'

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/17/2018

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

The Eponym Quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A Deep Dive on 'Deep Dive'

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word

papacy

Definition of papacy

Examples of papacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of papacy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of papacy

Other Christian Religious Terms

Phrases Related to PAPACY

Related Phrases

PAPACY Defined for English Language Learners

papacy

Definition of papacy for English Language Learners

Learn More about papacy

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

A Deep Dive on 'Deep Dive'

10 Words for the Elitists in Your Life

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

Ghost Word