Ecclesiastical States territories in Italy once subject to the Pope as a temporal prince as well as ecclesiastically.

Ecclesiastical \Ec*cle`si*as"tic*al\, a. [See Ecclesiastical, a.] Of or pertaining to the church; relating to the organization or government of the church; not secular; as, ecclesiastical affairs or history; ecclesiastical courts. Every circumstance of ecclesiastical order and discipline was an abomination. --Cowper. Ecclesiastical commissioners for England, a permanent commission established by Parliament in 1836, to consider and report upon the affairs of the Established Church. Ecclesiastical courts, courts for maintaining the discipline of the Established Church; -- called also Christian courts. [Eng.] Ecclesiastical law, a combination of civil and canon law as administered in ecclesiastical courts. [Eng.] Ecclesiastical modes (Mus.), the church modes, or the scales anciently used. Ecclesiastical States, the territory formerly subject to the Pope of Rome as its temporal ruler; -- called also States of the Church.

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