ecclesiastical court

American  

noun

1. a church court in ecclesiastical matters, presided over by members of the clergy and usually having no compulsory jurisdiction.

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Etymology

Origin of ecclesiastical court

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

An ecclesiastical court is to decide whether Cambridge University can move a memorial to a 17th Century benefactor who invested in the slave trade.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2022

Wendt was tried by an ecclesiastical court for disobeying the bishop’s orders.

From Washington Post • Sep. 5, 2019

Church spies hauled everyday people into ecclesiastical court for infractions such as eating meat during Lent, and priest-judges passed sentence.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2018

In May 2011, the man filed a complaint with Peru’s ecclesiastical court that was forwarded to the Vatican.

From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2018

Many of the monasteries were suppressed, a consistory was set up to take over the functions of the bishops and to act as the highest ecclesiastical court of the country.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various