- His Holiness
His Holiness is the official style or manner of address in reference to the leaders of certain religious groups. In Christianity, specifically the
Coptic Orthodox Church and theRoman Catholic Church (as well as theEastern Catholic Churches ), the style is used when respectively referring to the Pope of Alexandria and to the Pope of Rome. It is also used in reference to some otherpatriarch s in theChristian Church . InTibetan Buddhism , theDalai Lama is also addressed in the same manner in English, as are other Buddhist leaders such asSakya Trizin , the Patriarch ofSakyapa .Usage
In Christianity, the style derives from the
Latin "Sanctitas". It was originally used for allbishop s, but from the 7th century on, it was only used for Popes,Patriarch s and some secular rulers, and from the 14th century onwards, its use was restricted to a small minority of the Christian Patriarchs, notably the Pope of Alexandria, the Pope of Rome and thePatriarch of Moscow . In theDawoodi Bohra sect, a sect of theIsmaili branch ofShia Islam , the title is held by Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin.In
Tibetan Buddhism , theDalai Lama is commonly referred to in English by this style, even though he is technically not the leader of a religious group; it is, however, one of his prerogatives to appoint theGanden Tripa (Tibetan "dga' ldan khri pa"), who is the nominal head of theGelug (Tibetan "dge lugs") school of Tibetan Buddhism, so the style in the case of the Dalai Lama may have some merit. Recently, the chief lamas of other of the spiritual traditions of Tibet, including theSakya Trizin (head of theSakya [Tibetan "sa skya"] school), theKarmapa (head of theKarma Kagyu [Tibetan "kar ma bka' brgyud"] school), and theMenri Trizin (head ofBon ) have begun to be styled "His Holiness", as has the senior lama of theNyingma (Tibetan "rnying ma") school selected to be its principal representative, but this usage is more a manifestation of piety on the part of devotees than an appropriate application of the style.The title is used officially in international
diplomacy and in formal contexts without regard for its doctrinal, philosophical and theological origins.See also
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Use of courtesy titles and honorifics in professional writing
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