Holy See

The Holy See (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_language" title="Latin language" class="mw-redirect" >Latin</a>: Sancta Sedes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language" title="Italian language" >Italian</a>: Santa Sede) refers to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese" title="Diocese" >episcopal jurisdiction</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church" >Catholic Church</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome" >Rome</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primacy_of_the_Bishop_of_Rome" title="Primacy of the Bishop of Rome" >primacy</a> of Rome makes its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Catholic_Church)" title="Bishop (Catholic Church)" >bishop</a> the worldwide leader of the church, commonly known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope" title="Pope" >Pope</a>. Since Rome is the preeminent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see" title="Episcopal see" >episcopal see</a> of the church, it contains the central government of the church, including various <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicastery" title="Dicastery" >agencies</a> essential to administration. As such, diplomatically, the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic Church. It is also recognized by other subjects of international law as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereignty" title="Sovereignty" >sovereign</a> entity, headed by the Pope, with which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_relations" title="Diplomatic relations" class="mw-redirect" >diplomatic relations</a> can be maintained."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-0" >[1]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-1" >[2]</a>

Although it is often referred to as "the Vatican", the Holy See is not the same entity as the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City" title="Vatican City" >Vatican City</a> State, which came into existence only in 1929; the Holy See, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese_of_Rome" title="Diocese of Rome" >episcopal see of Rome</a>, dates back to early Christian times. Ambassadors are officially accredited not to the Vatican City State but to "the Holy See", and papal representatives to states and international organizations are recognized as representing the Holy See, not the Vatican City State.

Though all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see" title="Episcopal see" >episcopal sees</a> may be considered "holy", the expression "the Holy See" (without further specification) is normally used in international relations (and in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church)" title="Canon law (Catholic Church)" >canon law of the Roman Catholic Church</a>)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-2" >[3]</a> to refer to the See of Rome viewed as the central government of the Roman Catholic Church.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office speaks of Vatican City as the "capital" of the Holy See, although it compares the legal personality of the Holy See to that of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown" title="The Crown" >the Crown</a> in Christian monarchies and declares that the Holy See and the state of Vatican City are two international identities. It also distinguishes between the employees of the Holy See (2,750 working in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Curia" title="Roman Curia" >Roman Curia</a> with another 333 working in the Holy See's diplomatic missions abroad) and the 1,909 employees of the state.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-3" >[4]</a> The British Ambassador to the Holy See uses more precise language, saying that the Holy See "is not the same as the Vatican City State. … (It) is the universal government of the Catholic Church and operates from the Vatican City State."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-4" >[5]</a> This agrees exactly with the expression used by the website of the United States Department of State, in giving information on both the Holy See and the Vatican City State: it too says that the Holy See "operates from the Vatican City State".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-5" >[6]</a>

<h2 >"Holy See" and "Apostolic See"</h2>

Every <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see" title="Episcopal see" >episcopal see</a> is considered holy. In Greek, the adjective "holy" or "sacred" (ἱερά) is constantly applied to all such sees as a matter of course. In the West, the adjective is not commonly added, but it does form part of an official title of two sees: as well as Rome, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Mainz" title="Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz" >Bishopric of Mainz</a> (the former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishopric_of_Mainz" title="Archbishopric of Mainz" >Archbishopric of Mainz</a>), which was also of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince-elector" title="Prince-elector" >electoral</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate_(religion)" title="Primate (religion)" class="mw-redirect" >primatial</a> rank, bears the title of "the Holy See of Mainz" (Latin:Sancta Sedes Moguntina).

The term "see" comes from the Latin word "sedes", meaning "seat", which refers to the Episcopal throne (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedra" title="Cathedra" >cathedra</a>). The term "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_See" title="Apostolic See" class="mw-redirect" >Apostolic See</a>" can refer to any see founded by one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Apostles" title="Twelve Apostles" class="mw-redirect" >Apostles</a>, but, when used with the definite article, it is used in the Catholic Church to refer specifically to the see of the Bishop of Rome, whom that Church sees as successor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter" title="Saint Peter" >Saint Peter</a>, the Prince of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_(Christian)" title="Apostle (Christian)" >Apostles</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See#cite_note-19" >[20]</a>

An episcopal see (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin" title="Latin" >Latin</a>: episcopalis sedes) is, in the original sense, the official seat of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop" >bishop</a>. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedra" title="Cathedra" >cathedra</a>, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral" title="Cathedral" >cathedral</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-ODCC-0" >[1]</a> The seat is also called the bishop's throne, especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-1" >[2]</a>

The term is also used of the town or place where the cathedral is located,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-ODCC-0" >[1]</a> giving rise to expressions such as "the Episcopal See of Gibraltar".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-2" >[3]</a>

The bishop's seat is the earliest symbol of bishop's authority,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-ODCC-0" >[1]</a> and the word "see" is thus often applied to the area over which the bishop exercises authority. This usually corresponds to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocese" title="Diocese" >diocese</a>, as in the expression "within the see of Ebbsfleet"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-3" >[4]</a> and "built within the see of the bishop of Worcester".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-4" >[5]</a> But it is sometimes given a wider significance, referring for instance to an area under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch" title="Patriarch" >patriarchal</a> authority.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see#cite_note-5" >[6]</a>

In common English usage, the term <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See" title="Holy See" >Holy See</a> most often refers to the episcopal see of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_of_Rome" title="Bishop of Rome" class="mw-redirect" >Bishop of Rome</a>.

Holy See

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