: 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
The building surrounded the cloister was the site of two papal conclaves that elected Pope Eugene IV in 1431 and Pope Nicholas V in 1447.
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ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
All defendants maintained their innocence and appealed after a two-year trial that opened a Pandora's box of unwanted revelations about papal ransom payments to Islamic militants, Vatican vendettas, espionage and other dirty laundry of the Holy See.
—Nicole Winfield The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
All defendants maintained their innocence and appealed after a two-year trial that opened a pandora’s box of unwanted revelations about papal ransom payments to Islamic militants, Vatican vendettas, espionage and other dirty laundry of the Holy See.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Ten months after taking office, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday finally moved into his apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, a historic papal residence that his predecessor had eschewed.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for papal
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ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
All defendants maintained their innocence and appealed after a two-year trial that opened a Pandora's box of unwanted revelations about papal ransom payments to Islamic militants, Vatican vendettas, espionage and other dirty laundry of the Holy See.
—Nicole Winfield The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
All defendants maintained their innocence and appealed after a two-year trial that opened a pandora’s box of unwanted revelations about papal ransom payments to Islamic militants, Vatican vendettas, espionage and other dirty laundry of the Holy See.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Ten months after taking office, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday finally moved into his apartments in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, a historic papal residence that his predecessor had eschewed.
—CBS News, 14 Mar. 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 24 Mar. 2026.
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