How to Use papacy in a Sentence

papacy

noun
  • He was selected by the cardinals for the papacy.
  • That's in keeping with past years of his papacy, which allow him a bit of a summer break.
    — Frances D'emilio, Chron, 18 July 2021
  • And this could be something that shapes his papacy going forward.
    — ABC News, 18 May 2025
  • As viewers recall, this isn’t the first time that Law has de-clothed for his papacy role.
    — Natalie Stone, PEOPLE.com, 30 Aug. 2019
  • The pope also appears to have accomplished the main goals of his papacy.
    — Grayson Quay, The Week, 7 June 2022
  • But that’s not as strong as previous popes at the beginning of their papacies.
    — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 6 May 2026
  • Clothing has been such a flash point for debates around Francis’s papacy.
    — Jason Farago, New York Times, 20 May 2018
  • The chairmanship certainly has some of the pomp of the papacy.
    — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 14 June 2019
  • Francis has made the hardships facing migrants the world over a key focus of his papacy.
    — Deutsche Welle, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2018
  • The pontiff has been a strong messenger for global peace since the start of his papacy last May.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Francis has now named nine batches of new cardinals in his 10-year papacy.
    — Frances D'emilio, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2023
  • The consistory comes at a fraught time in Francis’ six-year papacy.
    — Nicole Winfield, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Oct. 2019
  • In his 10-year papacy, Pope Francis has opened some doors to women.
    — Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
  • The letter was a welcome salve in the battle that has raged throughout Francis’s papacy thus far.
    — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, 19 Mar. 2018
  • The fallout dogged Benedict from the beginning of his papacy.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2022
  • Leo will wear that ring, which celebrates Saint Peter, who was the first pope, throughout his papacy.
    — Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 May 2025
  • Read more here, and read about America’s changing perceptions of the papacy here.
    — Rosa Inocencio Smith, The Atlantic, 21 June 2017
  • Clearly, the pope is currently able to fulfill the most important duties of the papacy.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 June 2022
  • But the writings of the man born Joseph Ratzinger are the most significant legacy of his life and papacy.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2022
  • The late Pope Francis made immigrants and the poor a central focus of his papacy.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 19 May 2025
  • His was a papacy focused on the margins, on the dispossessed, and the most vulnerable.
    — ABC News, 27 Apr. 2025
  • The Francis papacy is in near perfect accord with this consensus.
    — R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018
  • Recent years—since the start of Francis' papacy—have seen some of the biggest crowds in anyone's memory.
    — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2020
  • Francis also went to Turkey and the Holy Land early in his papacy.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
  • Even before the coronavirus, Francis no longer had the same global fanfare of the early years of his papacy.
    — Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2020
  • While pledging during his papacy to give women greater roles in the church, Francis has also made clear that the priesthood is reserved for men.
    — Arkansas Online, 2 Jan. 2022
  • But Benedict quelled the noise by showing, for the first time in his papacy, the same deft touch that his predecessor had possessed in abundance.
    — Victor Gaetan, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2013
  • Perhaps the most striking part of the visit was seeing the pope appearing the most relaxed and happy since the beginning of his papacy.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
  • Francis has spent the better part of his four-year papacy seeking to mend the ties, and last year hosted el-Tayeb at the Vatican.
    — Nicole Winfield, The Seattle Times, 27 Apr. 2017
  • The papacy may have spooked Professor Ehrlich, but Italy has been there since 1976.
    — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 17 Mar. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'papacy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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