How to Use papal in a Sentence

papal

adjective
  • Even the office was sort of papal.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Francis isn’t about to let a storm get in the way of him and his papal duties.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Past papal visits have raised questions as to whether the pope would pray.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025
  • The only time papal power changes hands is when a pope dies or resigns.
    — Nicole Winfield, Star Tribune, 6 July 2021
  • The pope spoke aboard the papal plane on his way to Angola.
    — Melissa Adan, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Catholic pontiff can still perform his papal duties as long as his mind is clear.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 June 2022
  • The Met’s staff raised their smartphones like at a rock concert or a papal mass.
    — Jason Farago, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Then again, so are most mainstream churches, on both sides of the papal divide.
    — Abraham Miller, WSJ, 2 Apr. 2018
  • The white smoke, of course, is a tip of the cap to a papal conclave in which a new pope has been chosen.
    — Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 9 Dec. 2019
  • In fact, his remarks were the latest in a string of papal apologies in recent years.
    — Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, 26 July 2022
  • The move helped consolidate their place at the center of the papal court.
    — National Geographic, 15 Mar. 2019
  • But the strongest indication of his values came with his choice of a papal name.
    — Bill Weir, CNN, 13 Mar. 2018
  • Winfield reported from aboard the papal plane.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
  • This trip is only the second papal visit to Japan and the first in nearly four decades.
    — Cnn Editorial Research, CNN, 6 June 2021
  • Leo's events in Monaco were marked by all the usual protocol and pomp of a papal tour abroad.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Some cardinals, but by no means all, serve in the papal Curia in Rome.
    — Daniel Speed Thompson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The food is much better on papal flights with special menus printed with the pope’s coat of arms, which also adorn the head rests.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
  • For that and other writings, he was declared a heretic, which led him to further critiques of the papal system.
    — Mike Ellis, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2017
  • Austen Ivereigh is the papal biographer who wrote the book and has written two others with the pope.
    — Devon Link, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2020
  • Many people here at the time felt the papal visit confirmed Brazil’s position at the top of the world.
    — Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2017
  • The breach, as Foster saw it, of the papal duty to teach was inexcusable.
    — Nicholas Frankovich, National Review, 2 Jan. 2021
  • Gaenswein had served as a bridge between the two popes by also acting as head of Francis' papal household.
    — Nicole Winfield, ajc, 21 Apr. 2022
  • But some health experts have argued that the papal trip will push the risk onto crowds of people who do not have the same protections.
    — Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2021
  • Such exchanges are scripted in advance and are typical features of papal trips.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
  • Even as the events unfolded, other Iraqis were thinking ahead to whether the papal visit could spur any changes.
    — Louisa Loveluck, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Mar. 2021
  • The last two papal trips have seen dramatic, unscheduled moments.
    — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
  • Should Pope Francis step down due to health concerns, a papal conclave would be convened to elect a new pope.
    — Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Francis is in Canada this week on the first papal visit since 2002.
    — Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, 26 July 2022
  • Formosus’ corpse was found guilty of violating papal law.
    — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Petrusek said papal visits have a profound emotional impact.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 27 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'papal.' 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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