Holy See

noun

1. Roman Catholic Church. the see of Rome; the office or jurisdiction of the pope.
2. the papal court.

Holy See

noun

1. the see of the pope as bishop of Rome and head of the Church
2. the Roman curia

Holy See

1. In the Roman Catholic Church , the official name for the jurisdiction of the pope (the word see is from the Latin for “seat”).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Holy See¹

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

The Holy See went on to attack Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and plans as sinful, as consistently argued since Trump first ran for office.

From Salon

The document, which hasn’t been published pending review by the Holy See, reportedly sought to open some wiggle room in the Vatican’s absolute ban on gay priests.

From Seattle Times

“Pope Francis is aware of articles that recently came out about a conversation, behind closed doors,” said Matteo Bruni, the press office director for the Holy See, in response to questions from reporters.

From New York Times

“The Holy See is an important player on the world stage, not only in climate change, but also in diplomacy.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Holy See isn’t a member of the court or a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights.

From Seattle Times