Definition of holy see Holy see
Ho•ly See
We found 2 definitions of holy see from 2 different sources.
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What does holy see mean?
WordNet
Noun |
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| holy see - the smallest sovereign state in the world; the see of the Pope (as the Bishop of Rome); home of the Pope and the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church; achieved independence from Italy in 1929 | ||
| The Holy See, State of the Vatican City | ||
| capital of italy, eternal city, italian capital, roma, rome the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church | ||
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Wikipedia 
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The Holy See (Latin: "Sancta Sedes", "holy seat") is the office of the Bishop of Rome — the Pope.
The term Holy See means also the Pope and the Roman Curia—that means the central government of the Roman Catholic Church.
Every episcopal see is seen as holy and the Eastern Orthodox Church constantly applies the adjective "holy" or "sacred" () to all its sees, but "the Holy See" (in the singular and with the definite article and no other specification) normally means the see of Rome, which is also called "the Apostolic See". While "Apostolic See" can refer to any see founded by any of the Apostles, the term is in this case used to refer to the see of the bishop seen as successor of the chief of the Apostles, Saint Peter.
Aside from Rome, the archiepiscopal See of Mainz, which was also of electoral and primatial rank, is the only other Western see that bears the title of "Holy See", although this usage is less common.
Organization of the Holy See.
The Pope governs the Church through the Roman Curia. The Roman Curia consists of the Secretariat of State, nine Congregations, three Tribunals, 11 Pontifical Councils, and a complex of offices that administer church affairs at the highest level. The Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. The current incumbent, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, is the Holy See's equivalent of a prime minister. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary of the Section for Relations With States of the Secreta
