The honorific His Holiness is the official style used to refer to male leaders and highly respected spiritual figures of some religious groups; Her Holiness is the female equivalent. The term is sometimes abbreviated or "HH" or "H.H." when confusion with "His/Her Highness" is unlikely. The associated form of address is "Your Holiness". It is used for figures of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. The style may be used alone or followed by title and name; when speaking about a current Pope either "His Holiness visited the shrine..." or "His Holiness Pope Benedict visited the shrine...".
The title and form of address are used routinely by protocol in diplomacy and in formal contexts.
Famous quotes containing the word holiness:
“Oh, the holiness of always being the injured party. The historically oppressed can find not only sanctity but safety in the state of victimization. When access to a better life has been denied often enough, and successfully enough, one can use the rejection as an excuse to cease all efforts. After all, one reckons, “they” don’t want me, “they” accept their own mediocrity and refuse my best, “they” don’t deserve me.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)