The title His Holiness (and the associated

form of address Address terms are linguistic expressions used by a speaker to start conversation or call someone. George Yule defines address form as a word or phrase that is used for a person to whom speaker wants to talk. Address forms or address terms are so ...

Your Holiness) is an official title or style referring to the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

; this use can be traced back several hundred years. It has also been adopted as an official title for other leaders in a number of religious traditions. It is used to refer to

Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysitism, Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian ...

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

s, and used to refer to religious leaders in

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, and

Bon Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...

. Buddhist leaders referred to this way include the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

, the Menri Trizin, among others; the

Da'i al-Mutlaq (; pl. , ) is the most senior spiritual rank and office in Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Da'i al-Mutlaq has headed the Tayyibi community since the occultation (Islam), seclusion of the 21st Tayyibi Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imam, at-Tayyib Abu'l-Q ...

of the Dawoodi Bohras is one example of a Muslim leader styled this way.

Buddhism and Bon

The English-language honorific "His Holiness"( Burmese: အရှင်သူမြတ်ဘုရား; Ashin Thumyat Phya and the female version "Her Holiness" have commonly and very recently been used for

religious leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

s from other traditions, including

His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grand Master Sheng-Yen Lu
/ref> leaders such as the Thanlyin Mingyaung Sayadaw, Ashin Nandamalabhivamsa,

, the Gyalwa Karmapa, the Je Khenpo in

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

, and Shinso Ito of the Shinnyo-en branch of Shingon Buddhism. In the Bön tradition it is used for the Menri Trizin. File:Dalai Lama 1430 Luca Galuzzi 2007crop.jpg,

, Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935) File:PanchenLama.jpg, 11° Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (b. 1989) File:17-Karmapa-Lon.jpg, 17° Karmapa,

Trinley Thaye Dorje Trinley Thaye Dorje () (born 6 May 1983 in Lhasa) is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Thaye Dorje are the persist ...

(b. 1983) File:Ogyen Trinley Dorje by Prince Roy cropped.jpeg, 17° Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje (b. 1985) File:Druk white lotus school gya.jpg, 12° Gyalwang Drukpa, Jigme Pema Wangchen (b. 1963)

Christianity

Catholic Church

''His Holiness'' () is the official

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

used to address the

. The full papal title, rarely used, is: : ''His Holiness Leo XIV, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West,

Primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

of the

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

State, Servant of the servants of God.'' File:Il Presidente Sergio Mattarella con Sua Santità Leone XIV, in occasione della visita Ufficiale in Vaticano (cropped).jpg, Pope

Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fi ...

(b. 1955) The best-known title, that of "pope", does not appear in the official list of titles, but is commonly used in the titles of documents and appears, in abbreviated form, in their signatures as "PP", standing for ''Papa'' (''Pope''). The 2020 ''

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' ( Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides nam ...

'' lists all of his formal titles, except Bishop of Rome, as "historical titles". It is customary when referring to popes to translate the regnal name into local languages. In February 2013, the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

announced that former

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

would retain the style "His Holiness" after resigning and becoming pope emeritus. The term is sometimes abbreviated as "HH" or "H.H." when confusion with "His/Her Highness" is unlikely.

Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches

''His Holiness'' is the official

also used to address the

Catholicoi/

s. In the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

, the

ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

has the title of His All Holiness (). It is also used for certain other Eastern patriarchs, notably those who head a church or rite which recognizes neither Rome's nor Constantinople's primacy. File:Tawadros II of Alexandria.jpg, Papa Tawadros II of Alexandria of the

Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...

(b. 1952) File:Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.jpg, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow
(b. 1946) File:Bartolomeo I.jpg,

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

, Bartholomew I
(b. 1940) File:Theodore of Alexandria.jpg,

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epi ...

Theodore II
(b. 1954) File:Patriarch Daniil.jpg, Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria (b. 1972) File:Assyrian Patriarch Dinkha IV Khanania.jpg, Mar Dinkha IV,

Patriarch of the Church of the East The patriarch of the Church of the East (also known as patriarch of the East, patriarch of Babylon, the catholicose of the East or the grand metropolitan of the East) is the patriarch, or leader and head bishop (sometimes referred to as Cath ...

(b. 1935) File:Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, seated.jpg, Ignatius Aphrem II, of the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

(b.1965) File:Garegin II.jpg,

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

Garegin II
(b. 1951)

Islam

In Islam, it is used in

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

for the 5th

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Mirza Masroor Ahmad. It is used in the

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community re ...

sect of Ismaili Shia for the office of

, Syedna. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is recognized by most Dawoodi Bohras as the 53rd

. File:Baitan Nur Mosque Inauguration - Stephen Harper-2.jpg, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Fifth Ahmadiyya Caliph File:Mufaddal Saifuddin Houstan Ashara.jpg, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, 53rd

References