Holy Father
12
5.6
- proper noun
- Formal
:
Santo Padre
- I share the concern of many religious women that, in conformity with the constant teaching of the Holy Father and the great number of Bishops, more consideration, study, and adaptations are needed in the Church in order to accord women the dignity that is theirs by virtue of their baptized status.
Examples
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Many people around the world pray for guidance from the Holy Father.
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Our Holy Father, the pope, has authorized me and these, his faithful servants... ...to speak on his behalf.
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The Holy Father knows what we're facing.
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"Come," the Holy Father said at last.
Fiction book (1991) -
I know that the Holy Father said that the Church will get smaller worldwide, and that is happening.
Blog text (16) -
Hear our prayers, Holy Father.
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We have a professional relationship, and I now have regular audiences with the Holy Father.
Blog text (30) -
The Holy Father extended the same courtesy to the Israelis.
Fiction book (1991) -
The Holy Father is the one who blesses the crowd that has gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Fiction book (1994) -
Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, gloriously reigning.
Blog text (3)
Synonyms
239
3.2
A religious leader in Rome who leads the Roman Catholic Church worldwide
17
8.2
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church
2
6.0
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church
2
9.9
A senior Catholic church leader like the pope
1
8.4
A title for the Pope meaning he represents Christ on earth and leads the Roman Catholic Church
A person who leads the Roman Catholic Church and is the Bishop of Rome
How Senior
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'holy' (sacred) + 'Father' (a clerical title) transparently convey the idea of a sacred/religious father-figure, so learners who know the constituents will likely infer it is an honorific for a senior cleric. However, the specific conventional reference to the Pope is not fully predictable from the parts alone (it is a fixed title), so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Holy Father comes from calling the Pope a sacred 'father' to Catholics. The word holy shows he is a religious leader and father shows he guides and cares for the church, so the phrase means 'the Pope' today.