From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpapalpa‧pal /ˈpeɪpəl/ adjective [only before noun] RRCrelating to the Pope a challenge to papal authority
Examples from the Corpus
papal• When it was issued in 1234, with full papal approval, it was addressed to the masters and scholars of Bologna.• papal authority• They might even find that the trees prefer flute bands to papal choirs.• The offerings made at the altars of papal churches were shared by the pope with the assisting clergy.• Alexander was resident at the papal curia at the time of his election to Coventry in 1224.• Besides being one of Henry III's most frequent ambassadors to Rome, Alexander served many times as papal judge delegate.• The papal letter which they brought was uncompromising in principle, though noticeably vague in its terms.• They stand above and beyond any particular attempt, papal or otherwise, definitively to interpret them.• So lofty were these papal prerogatives, that no further Council would ever be needed, or so it seemed to many.Origin papal (1300-1400) Old French Medieval Latin papalis, from Late Latin papa; → POPE 