(Roman Catholicism) The concept that the Pope, under certain circumstance (when making a statement on faith or morals, etc.) is protected by the Holy Spirit from being able to make a mistake.

plural of papal bull

An official document or edict from the Pope.

One of the major historical states of Italy before the peninsula was unified in 1861. It comprised those territories over which the Pope was the ruler in a civil as well as a spiritual sense.