Catholic Church

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

1. a visible society of baptized Christians professing the same faith under the authority of the invisible head (Christ) and the authority of the visible head (the pope and the bishops in communion with him).

---

Catholic Church British  

noun

1. short for Roman Catholic Church

2. any of several Churches claiming to have maintained continuity with the ancient and undivided Church

---

Catholic Church Cultural  

1. A common abbreviation for the name of the Roman Catholic Church.

---

Etymology

Origin of Catholic Church

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

The Church of England became the country's state establishment church following King Henry VIII's split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s.

From Barron's

“I think they need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The law has opened the floodgates for thousands of lawsuits against the Catholic Church, local governments and public school districts.

From Los Angeles Times

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Mary’s consent—“Let it be done.”—was a free, active and essential act of faith that allowed the Incarnation to occur.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Catholic Church and its last few popes have understood only the destructive force of war.

From The Wall Street Journal