papacy
noun
pa·pa·cy ˈpā-pə-sē 
plural papacies
1
: the office of pope
2
: a succession or line of popes
3
: the term of a pope's reign
4
capitalized : the system of government of the Roman Catholic Church of which the pope is the supreme head
Example Sentences
He was selected by the cardinals for the papacy.
Recent Examples on the Web Many celebrities and politicians have been fans of His Holiness since his papacy began in 2013 First-ever pope/celeb selfie? 
Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2022 The pontiff fielded questions on a variety of topics including climate change, the pandemic, poverty and his own decade of the papacy. Fox News, 1 July 2022 His views were resisted by many parishioners and by the Vatican, where the long papacy of John Paul II favored a conservative and centralized approach to doctrinal matters. New York Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Cardinal Michael Czerny recalled that early on in his papacy Francis asserted that no single culture can claim a hold on Christianity and the church cannot demand that people on other continents imitate the European way of expressing the faith. Arkansas Online, 24 July 2022 Six Indian saints have been canonized in the past 15 years, all but one under the papacy of Pope Francis. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 16 May 2022 Francis' tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Arkansas Online, 24 July 2022 Francis’ tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 Francis’ tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Nicole Winfield, ajc, 23 July 2022 See More
Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2022 The pontiff fielded questions on a variety of topics including climate change, the pandemic, poverty and his own decade of the papacy. Fox News, 1 July 2022 His views were resisted by many parishioners and by the Vatican, where the long papacy of John Paul II favored a conservative and centralized approach to doctrinal matters. New York Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Cardinal Michael Czerny recalled that early on in his papacy Francis asserted that no single culture can claim a hold on Christianity and the church cannot demand that people on other continents imitate the European way of expressing the faith. Arkansas Online, 24 July 2022 Six Indian saints have been canonized in the past 15 years, all but one under the papacy of Pope Francis. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 16 May 2022 Francis' tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Arkansas Online, 24 July 2022 Francis’ tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022 Francis’ tone of personal repentance has signaled a notable shift for the papacy, which has long acknowledged abuses in the residential schools and strongly asserted the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples. Nicole Winfield, ajc, 23 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English papacie, from Medieval Latin papatia, from Late Latin papa pope — more at pope
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1