papistry

[ pey-puh-stree ]

/ ˈpeɪ pə stri /

the Roman Catholic Church.

Origin of papistry

First recorded in 1540–50; papist + -ry

See papist.

Little Holland, since she shook off Papistry, hath no persecuting polity like the other nations.

Dreamers of the Ghetto |I. Zangwill
He is my friend, my benefactor; his father saved my grandfather's life in the days of papistry.

A Gentleman Player |Robert Neilson Stephens
The earlier members of the Leighton family had shared the dislike of their fellow townsmen for anything approaching “papistry.”

The Gilded Man |Clifford Smyth
Daily I resolve me to quit the service of them that cherish the gauds and idolatries of papistry.

A Gentleman Player |Robert Neilson Stephens

The suspicion of papistry followed him; and orders were given for his arrest.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 |Various