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).

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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

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Catholic Church Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of Catholic Church

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

Then the Catholic Church sold the land to the city in the 1960s.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

This Easter, nearly 90 people took the Holy Communion to formally join the Catholic Church at St. Joe’s, more than double last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

In the seventh century, the Catholic Church enforced strict Lenten rules, prohibiting the consumption of all meat, dairy, and eggs throughout the fasting season.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

Pope Leo, the first American-born man to lead the Catholic Church, has recently returned from a trip to Africa, where he visited four nations.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

The Doctrine of Discovery was laid out in a series of communications from the pope, leader of the Catholic Church, who was extremely influential in European politics at the time.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz