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

Some writers and artists who initially championed boundary-pushing aestheticism later found a spiritual home in the Catholic Church.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The State Department has also coordinated humanitarian aid missions with the Catholic Church.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"He had aura, the Pope had aura," says Harry Clark on meeting the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Leo XIV.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

In a statement, the Catholic Church, which is close to the PP, said that Castillo's story "reflects an accumulation of personal suffering and institutional failures".

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The Catholic Church of my youth mediated with special grace between the public and private realms of my life, such was the extent of its faith in itself.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez