Language Matters | The rituals of conclave to choose a pope, from declaring ‘Extra omnes’ to ‘Habemus Papam’
Lisa Lim decodes the Latin terms that will pepper the coming conclave of cardinals in Vatican City to elect a successor to Pope Francis
We are in an interregnum.
This period is also called sede vacante – meaning “vacant seat” in Latin.
The seat in question is the Holy See – from the Latin Sancta Sedes, meaning “holy chair or seat” – also known as the Apostolic See or the See of Rome, founded in the 1st century by St Peter and St Paul.
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What is a conclave and how does it pick a new pope?
Episcopal sees designate the area of a bishop’s ecclesiastical jurisdiction, their diocese. The Holy See, encompassing the office of the pope as the bishop of the apostolic episcopal see of Rome, serves as the spiritual and administrative authority of the worldwide Catholic Church.