Catholicism

American  

[kuh-thol-uh-siz-uhm] / kəˈθɒl əˌsɪz əm /

noun

1. the faith, system, and practice of the Catholic Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church.

2. (lowercase) catholicity.

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Catholicism British  

/ kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. short for Roman Catholicism

2. the beliefs, practices, etc, of any Catholic Church

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Catholicism Cultural  

1. The beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Catholicism
  noun
• pro-Catholicism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Catholicism

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

Example Sentences

In diagnosing the problem, the wing of Latin Catholicism that both Francis and Leo represent saw the church’s historical links with elite power structures and oligarchical families as a key vulnerability.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Today, Catholicism risks losing its status as the majority religion in Brazil, and the church is ceding ground across the whole region.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, during a time when he was being heavily bankrolled by esoteric Catholic billionaire Peter Thiel.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

"The Pope is the Pope, we owe him a certain amount of deference, but I don't think that Catholicism wants the obedience of cadavers. We are living, thinking persons," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

She said, “May and June and I take our mother’s Catholicism and mix in our own ingredients. I’m not sure what you call it, but it suits us.”

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd