: 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
As a result, the consecration of bishops without papal consent is considered a grave threat to church unity and a cause of schism, since bishops can ordain new priests.
—
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
March 13, 2013, when then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio broke with the church tradition of taking a name in honor of a papal predecessor.
—Vanessa Corcoran, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
In 2025, the BAFTA Best Film award went to the Ralph Fiennes papal thriller Conclave.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the office was sort of papal.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for papal
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Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
March 13, 2013, when then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio broke with the church tradition of taking a name in honor of a papal predecessor.
—Vanessa Corcoran, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
In 2025, the BAFTA Best Film award went to the Ralph Fiennes papal thriller Conclave.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Even the office was sort of papal.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 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 11 Feb. 2026.
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