episcopate

Definition of episcopatenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of episcopate The diaconate represents the Church’s third degree of holy orders, below the presbyterate, or priests, and episcopate, or bishops. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025 Vatican observers have long speculated that Francis saw Prevost as a potential successor, especially given his rapid rise and central role in shaping the modern episcopate. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025 The selection of Bishop McElroy, whose diocese has never been led by a cardinal, sends a message about the pope’s wish for a more liberal orientation for the U.S. episcopate. Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 29 May 2022 The Curia is also seriously underfunded and understaffed for the duties it is supposed to carry out, including the selection, vetting, appointment, and supervision of an episcopate that today consists of more than 5,000 Catholic bishops around the world. Massimo Faggioli, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for episcopate
Noun
  • Casa Carolina Hotel What was originally the presbytery of the Santa Catalina de Alejandría Cathedral is now one of Cartagena's newest boutique hotels, Casa Carolina.
    Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Inside Brixworth Church The choir, or presbytery—the heart of the church—is separated from the nave by a large arch.
    David Nikel, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The diaconate represents the Church’s third degree of holy orders, below the presbyterate, or priests, and episcopate, or bishops.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Two commissions studying the question of women in the diaconate, keeping discernment alive even without doctrinal change.
    Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In the internal logic of Venezuela’s ruling system, power functions less like that of a modern institutional state and more like a feudal hierarchy, where control of armed force determines political survival.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
  • But some people involved will be new, including those at the top of the legislative hierarchy.
    Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Des Moines Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Iran’s ruling clergy have weathered huge protests many times before.
    Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Replaced by sycophants and suffocated by the clergy’s interference in daily life, this class has long since lost faith in the system.
    Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Episcopate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/episcopate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

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