Holy See
Holy See
Embracing mainstream international law, this section on holy see explores the context, history and effect of the area of the law covered here.
“The term “Holy See” is used to refer to the supreme organ of the Catholic Church (including all its rites), that is, the bishop of Rome, commonly called the Pope, together with those offices of the Roman Curia through which he governs the universal Church. The term “Vatican,” sometimes also used here, should be restricted to the Vatican City State which, while also ruled by the Pope, is essentially distinct from the Holy See. Through the Holy See, the Catholic Church is present and acts on the international scene. Yet the question raised in legal writing of whether the Church or the Holy See is in fact the subject of international law concerned is immaterial, because the supreme power within the Church is concentrated in the Holy See and freely exercised by it, limited only by divine (positive and natural) law. The international legal personality of the Holy See is based on the fact that the internal legal order of the Church is not derived from any State or other subject of international law, and is therefore sovereign.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Encyclopedia of Disputes Installment, 1987
Further Reading
- The entry “holy see” in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (currently, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, 2009), Oxford University Press
Hierarchical Display of Holy See
Geography > Europe > Southern Europe
Education And Communications > Documentation > Document > Papal act
Holy See
Concept of Holy See
See the dictionary definition of Holy See.
Characteristics of Holy See
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Resources
Translation of Holy See
- Spanish: Santa Sede
- French: Saint-Siège
- German: Heiliger Stuhl
- Italian: Santa Sede
- Portuguese: Santa Sé
- Polish: Stolica Apostolska
Thesaurus of Holy See
Geography > Europe > Southern Europe > Holy See
Education And Communications > Documentation > Document > Papal act > Holy See
See also
- Vatican
- Vatican City State
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