Holy Office

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

1. a congregation founded in 1542 to succeed the suppressed Inquisition and entrusted with matters pertaining to faith and morals, as the judgment of heresy, the application of canonical punishment, and the examination of books and prohibition of those held dangerous to faith and morals.

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Holy Office British  

noun

1. RC Church a congregation established in 1542 as the final court of appeal in heresy trials; it now deals with matters of doctrine

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Etymology

Origin of Holy Office

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

They say they questioned Vanier repeatedly as soon as the first victims came forward, as well as what he knew about Philippe’s 1956 Holy Office condemnation, but that he lied to them.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 28, 2023

In 1542 Paul III approved the creation of a permanent branch of the Church devoted to holding Protestantism in check: the Holy Office, better known as the Inquisition.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

“This,” the crew member proclaimed, in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Office and the home of Pope Francis, “is the dominion of Netflix.”

From New York Times • May 9, 2018

His ally in this was the Congregation for the Defence of the Faith, or CDF, once known as the Holy Office.

From The Guardian • Oct. 27, 2017

The keenness which thus made profitable business for the Holy Office, when heresy was declining, is illustrated by the case of Marie du Canech, a money-changer of Cambrai, in 1403.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I by Lea, Henry Charles