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

"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 the United States, the Catholic Church has campaigned against human composting wherever legislation has been introduced to implement it.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

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 • Mar. 25, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

My Aunt Libby had broken away from the Catholic Church at the same time my mother did, but then she'd fallen in love with an Italian Catholic, so she'd gone back again.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath