motu proprio
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of motu proprio
Literally, “of one's own accord”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is the motu proprio that demands, somewhat unrealistically, that unmarried deacons take lifetime vows of celibacy; as a result, few single men have applied.
From Time Magazine Archive
In fact, Pope Paul's long-awaited motu proprio* on birth control was already rolling off the presses in a secret section of the Vatican's printing office.
From Time Magazine Archive
He issued a motu proprio or letter of instruction to Roman Catholic Bishops.
From Time Magazine Archive
The motu proprio of the Supreme Pontiff permitted, for the first time in the recorded history of the Church, an alteration in the time of celebrating the High Mass usually performed at midnight Christmas Eve.
From Time Magazine Archive
In his motu proprio of December 1903 he spoke still more definitely on the subject.
From Pope Pius the Tenth by Forbes, F. A. (Frances Alice)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
