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

As Chesnut noted, UFOs-as-demons is actually an evangelical idea from the 1950s and ’60s, and not something the Catholic Church has ever meddled in.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government and the Catholic Church in Spain signed an agreement in March to compensate victims, after years of reticence and opacity from the Church hierarchy.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

During his seven-day visit, Pope Leo will meet victims who experienced sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, as well as groups that look after the welfare of migrants.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The Catholic Church does not see artificial intelligence as a threat to faith.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The central doctrine of liberation theology was that the Catholic Church had an obligation to provide a “preferential option for the poor.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French