papacy

[pey-puh-see]

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

plural

papacies 

1. the office, dignity, or jurisdiction of the pope.

2. the system of ecclesiastical government in which the pope is recognized as the supreme head.

3. the period during which a certain pope is in office.

4. the succession or line of the popes.

papacy

/ ˈpeɪpəsɪ /

noun

1. the office or term of office of a pope

2. the system of government in the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope as its head

papacy

1. The office or position of the pope.

Other Word Forms

• antipapacy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of papacy¹

1350–1400; Middle English papacie < Medieval Latin pāpātia. See pope, -acy

Word History and Origins

Origin of papacy¹

C14: from Medieval Latin pāpātia, from pāpa _pope ¹

Example Sentences

The US pope has made social justice a key theme of his papacy, now in its sixth month since being made head of the world's Catholics in May following the death of Pope Francis.

Read more on Barron's

The current pontiff understands his own papacy as presiding over a comparable cataract in history.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him. We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Read more on BBC

Pope Leo XIV called Thursday for the poor and marginalised, including migrants, to be at the centre of the Catholic Church's mission, in the first major publication of his papacy.

Read more on Barron's

In recent decades, overseas travel has become central to the papacy, allowing popes to connect with Catholics worldwide, spread their message and engage in diplomacy.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• pontiff