: 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
Over the ensuing 10 months, the Vatican undertook extensive renovations to the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, which hadn’t been used during Francis’ 12-year papacy and was in dire need of an update to bring its electric, plumbing and other utilities up to standard.
—
ABC News, 14 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
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
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ABC News, 14 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
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
See All Example Sentences for papal
Cite this Entry
“Papal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papal. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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