Holy See
Rome's spiritual government
The Holy See is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome—the central governing body of the Roman Catholic Church.
Distinguished from Vatican City (the physical territory), the Holy See is the entity that maintains diplomatic relations with nations and holds observer status at the United Nations.
The Holy See issued a statement on the refugee crisis.
Pontifical diplomatic representative
- concordatVatican-state formal agreement
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
- Lateran Treaty1929 Italy-Vatican agreement
bilateral · accord · diplomatic relations · envoy · protocol · mediation · dialogue · international
Catholic Church's supreme leader
- pontiffSupreme Catholic leader
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- pontificateSpeak in dogmatic manner
- Vicar of ChristPope's official designation
apostolic · succession · College of Cardinals · papal infallibility · encyclical · tiara · curia · canon law
Italy's capital city
- St. Peter's BasilicaRome's principal Catholic church
- Sistine ChapelVatican worship hall
- Vatican CityIndependent papal microstate
- St. Peter's SquareVatican's main plaza
Swiss Guard · Vatican Museums · Michelangelo · Bernini · Raphael · Tiber · obelisk · dome
Papal Christian denomination
- faithTrust without proof
- doctrineEstablished body of teachings
- liturgyFormal worship structure
- MassCatholic worship service
sacraments · clergy · theology · dogma · creed · canonization · beatification · saints
Condition of being sovereign
- independenceFreedom from external control
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
enclave · microstate · authority · governance · legitimacy · recognition · nation-state · self-governance
nuncio
Pontifical diplomatic representative
- concordatVatican-state formal agreement
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
Lateran Treaty · bilateral · accord · diplomatic relations · envoy · protocol · mediation · dialogue · international · mission
pope
Catholic Church's supreme leader
- pontiffSupreme Catholic leader
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- pontificateSpeak in dogmatic manner
Vicar of Christ · apostolic · succession · College of Cardinals · papal infallibility · encyclical · tiara · curia · canon law · pontifex
Rome
Italy's capital city
- St. Peter's BasilicaRome's principal Catholic church
- Sistine ChapelVatican worship hall
- Vatican CityIndependent papal microstate
St. Peter's Square · Swiss Guard · Vatican Museums · Michelangelo · Bernini · Raphael · Tiber · obelisk · dome · colonnade
Catholicism
Papal Christian denomination
Mass · sacraments · clergy · theology · dogma · creed · canonization · beatification · saints · martyrs
statehood
Condition of being sovereign
- independenceFreedom from external control
- jurisdictionLegal authority's scope
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
territory · enclave · microstate · authority · governance · legitimacy · recognition · nation-state · self-governance · dominion
- Vatican documentspapal bulls, encyclicals
- Catholic ChurchVatican, papacy, cardinals, popes, papal
- CatholicismVatican, cardinals, pope, popes, Roman Catholicism
- RomeColosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps
- church historychurch history, apostles, Protestant Reformation, Christian history, baptism
- papacypontiff, Pope, pope, papal election, papal authority
Holy Seesecular state
Government separate from religion
republic · constitutional democracy · the Kremlin · Westminster · secularism
Holy SeeMecca
Islam's most sacred city
Canterbury · Church of England · Eastern Orthodox Church · Southern Baptist Convention · Dalai Lama
Holy SeeCommunist Party
Marxist-Leninist political organization