Catholicism

[kuh-thol-uh-siz-uhm]

noun

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

2. (lowercase),  catholicity.

Catholicism

/ kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. short for Roman Catholicism

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

Catholicism

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

Other Word Forms

• anti-Catholicism noun
• pro-Catholicism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Catholicism¹

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

Example Sentences

The bestseller is a pack of lies that maligns Jesus and harms Catholicism, a cardinal announces.

From Los Angeles Times

She became the first member of the Royal Family to convert to Catholicism since the Act of Settlement in 1701 - but that was not, perhaps, her most surprising decision.

From BBC

She became a Catholic in 1994, the first royal to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, describing it as "a long-pondered personal decision".

From BBC

There's an old John Mulaney routine in which he imagines what one might say to persuade someone to convert to Catholicism.

From Salon

Catholicism has rarely been more prominent in US politics as the Trump administration openly embraces advisers and officials who proudly say faith has shaped their politics.

From BBC