Monsignor

Monsignor ( ; Italian: monsignore) is a form of address or honorific for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church.

It is the apocopic form of the Italianmonsignore, a loan from French monseigneur meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons. or Msgr. In some languages like Italian, the title "monsignore" is used as a form of address for all bishops, but, officially, the title is unrelated to the episcopacy (though many priests with the title of "monsignor" later become bishops).

The title "monsignor" is a form of address, not an appointment such as a bishop or cardinal, meaning that a priest cannot be "made a monsignor" or become "the monsignor of a parish". Instead, the title "Monsignor" is normally used by clergy who have received one of the three classes of papal honors:

Protonotary apostolic (the highest class)
Honorary prelate
Chaplain of His Holiness (the lowest class)

The pope bestows these honors upon clergy who:

Have rendered a valuable service to the Church
Provide some special function in Church governance
Are members of bodies such as certain chapters

Clerics working in the Roman Curia and the Vatican diplomatic service are eligible for all three honors, while priests working in a diocese are only eligible for the honor "Chaplain of His Holiness". Priests must be nominated by their bishop; an additional requirement in the reign of Pope Francis was the minimum age of 65 years. Pope Leo XIV reverted to the traditional practice by bestowing the title on Indian priest Sebastian Febin Puthiyaparambil of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thamaraserry.