Catholicism

American  

[kuh-thol-uh-siz-uhm] / kəˈθɒl əˌsɪz əm /

noun

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

2. (lowercase) catholicity.

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Catholicism British  

/ kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. short for Roman Catholicism

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

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Catholicism Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Catholicism
  noun
• pro-Catholicism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Catholicism

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

Example Sentences

Both men have helped bridge the gap between South and North and have offered a theological and sociological approach that represents Southern concerns in a less abrasive way than, for example, African Catholicism might.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

And it’s not just the figure at the top that changes the dynamics: Catholicism is hot right now, at least in media coverage.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, during a time when he was being heavily bankrolled by esoteric Catholic billionaire Peter Thiel.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

The 11-day trip, which starts on Monday, is Pope Leo's second major foreign visit since being elected to the papacy in May last year, and is a reflection of Africa's increasing importance to Catholicism.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

In contrast to the Catholicism of school, the Mexican Catholicism of home was less concerned with man the sinner than with man the supplicant.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez