What does catholicization mean?
Catholicization is the process of bringing people or institutions into Roman Catholicism, or more generally of making an organization, community, or practice Catholic in character. The word is used most often in historical, religious, and political contexts, particularly when discussing the conversion of populations or the establishment of Catholic institutions. It is more specific than “Christianization,” which can refer to conversion to Christianity generally, including Protestant traditions. Catholicization can describe either voluntary religious change or state-sponsored conversion; in the latter context, it often carries implications of coercion and the marginalization of other beliefs. The related verb is “catholicize.” Although the word is uncommon in everyday English, it is useful when distinguishing the specific spread or institutionalization of Roman Catholicism from broader processes of religious or cultural change.
nounThe process of converting people, institutions, or a society to Roman Catholicism; more broadly, the act of making an organization or practice Catholic in character.
- The conversion of people, institutions, or a society to Roman Catholicism, or the broader process of giving something a Catholic character.
"The decree represented an attempt at the Catholicization of the conquered territories."
"Missionaries described the settlement's gradual Catholicization as a transformation in religious identity."
"Historians have examined Catholicization as a means of imposing religious uniformity on newly conquered territories."
The plural is grammatically regular but is rarely needed because the word usually denotes a single historical or institutional process.
"The study compares several Catholicization policies adopted in different colonial territories."
In histories of religious conflict, Catholicization can signify the attempt to remake an entire society around a single church.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does catholicization come from?
Catholicization was formed in English by combining “Catholic” with the suffix “-ization,” which creates a noun denoting an action or process. “Catholic” entered Middle English through Old French and Latin, ultimately deriving from Greek katholikos, meaning “universal” or “general.” Its modern religious meaning was shaped by the contrast between the universal or worldwide Catholic Church and other Christian traditions, particularly during the Reformation. The related noun “Catholicism” and the verb “catholicize” follow the same historical and etymological development.
Related word forms
How catholicization is actually used
This is a formal and comparatively rare term, found chiefly in religious, historical, and political writing. It may have a critical or negative connotation when the conversion involved coercion or the suppression of other faiths.
Easily confused with catholicization
Catholicization is conversion to Roman Catholicism, whereas canonization is the formal recognition of someone as a saint.