Monsignor

Uncommon card · No. 81417

Monsignor ( mon-SEEN-yər; Italian: monsignore [monsiɲˈɲoːre]) is a form of address or honorific for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. It is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, 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...

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