papacy

American  

[pey-puh-see] / ˈpeɪ pə si /

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.

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papacy British  

/ 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

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papacy Cultural  

1. The office or position of the pope.

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Other Word Forms

• antipapacy adjective

Etymology

Origin of papacy

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

Example Sentences

The late Pope Francis, who died last year after leading the Roman Catholic Church for more than a decade, chose his name and modelled his papacy after the radical humility of Saint Francis.

From BBC

The papacy did not formally confirm the order's existence until 1298.

From Science Daily

Francis's papacy heralded several reforms to the Catholic Church, but on many of its teachings, he was a traditionalist.

From BBC

Francis also gave the papacy a less formal and more approachable image by spurning regal attire, riding in compact cars and making headlines with blunt comments at news conferences.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pope Francis wrote in his autobiography that when his papacy began in 2013, he felt that he would only have two or three years in the role.

From BBC

Related Words

• pontiff