𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗬
Someone stopped me recently and asked,
“Why is the Pope called Holy?”
And before I could even respond, he followed up with:
“But doesn’t the Bible say all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)?
And that a righteous man falls seven times a day (Proverbs 24:16)?
Even Jesus said no one is good except God alone!”
To be honest, that’s a fair question.
Especially when you imagine this scenario:
Let’s say you know a man personally.
You watched him grow up. You’ve eaten with him, cracked jokes together—maybe even committed some small atrocities here and there (you know what I mean 
).
Then one day… boom!
He’s elected Pope.
Suddenly, people start calling him “His Holiness.”
Let’s be real—that’s hard.
Very hard.
Because over-familiarity can make honor look strange. It’s difficult to reconcile who someone used to be with who they’ve become.
But here’s the thing:
The Pope isn’t called “Holy” because he’s perfect.
Think about it this way:
In everyday life, you might call a judge “My Lord”—not because he’s royalty, but because of the dignity of his role.
You might call a governor “Your Excellency”—not because he excels at everything, but because of the respect due to his office.
In the same way, the Pope’s title isn’t about personal flawlessness.
It’s about the sacredness of the office he holds.
He’s not just a leader of Catholics;
He’s a shepherd of souls, a symbol of unity, and the visible head of the Church on earth—the successor of Peter.
So when we say “His Holiness,” we’re not saying,
“You’re better than everyone else.”
We’re saying,
“You’ve been set apart for a holy mission.”
And yes, he’s still human.
He makes mistakes.
He still goes to Confession.
But he also strives to lead the Church in holiness—
because the title doesn’t just honor him, it calls him higher.
At that point, I thought I had made my case. The guy nodded—once, twice, then like fifty times.
I was beginning to feel proud of myself… until he hit me with another one:
“Okay, fair. But out of all the titles in the world, why Your Holiness?
Why not something else—like Chief Shepherd, Senior Man, or Spiritual Director-General?”
That one cracked me up. 
But again, it’s a good question.
You see, in the Bible, anything set apart for God’s work—whether it’s a place, a vessel, or a person—is called holy.
Since the Pope is set apart to serve as the spiritual head of the global Church, his role is seen as sacred.
And because the office is holy, the title reflects that.
That’s why we say “His Holiness.”
Again, it’s not about perfection—it’s about purpose.
