the Holy See
10
7.8
- noun
- Formal
:
Santa Sede
- Thus, the Holy See had shifted the focus of its international relations by the mid-1970s.
- Embassy to the Holy See
- ambassador to the Holy See
- relations with the Holy See
Examples
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At the end of the year, the Holy See pleaded on behalf of the persecuted Armenians.
Academic text (1998) -
I'm an active priest in good standing with the Holy See.
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Caught the attention of the Holy See.
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I think the Holy See will find some use for me.
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To me, it seems a matter for the Holy See.
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Look, we're gonna deliver all our findings to the Holy See next Friday.
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Well, before this, I was studying in the archives in the Holy See.
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The throne of the Holy See is vacant.
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You can hold a service passport from the Holy See without holding a Vatican City State passport.
Blog text (14) -
To discuss the new policy, we scheduled a meeting with the Holy See next week.
Synonyms
13
8.4
The job and power of the Pope as leader of the Roman Catholic Church
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'holy' (sacred) with 'see' (a bishop's seat), so a learner who knows those senses can infer it refers to a sacred episcopal seat or church authority. However, the term carries specialized, historical and political meaning (the Pope's jurisdiction and a sovereign central government) that is not fully predictable from the parts and relies on cultural/ institutional knowledge.
Etymology
The Holy See comes from an old church idea: the word See once meant a bishop's 'seat' or chair, the place that showed his power. That's why The Holy See now means the Pope's central government and authority in the world.