# Addressing An Ex-Pope.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 13, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161 "2013-02-13T06:53:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/1 "2013-02-13T06:53:57Z")
The mother of a reigning queen is called the Queen Mother. Since she is still royal, she will be addressed as “Your Royal Highness” all her life. Being a president of the United States or, say, a judge, is a title of high honor. You will be addressed that way for the rest of your life (unless you acquire a greater honor somehow). **Etc.**
So how then do address an ex-Pope? This question is more important and more relavent than you might think. Someone, poss. on these boards, may want to send (almost) ex-Pope Benedict XVI an email or a Tweet some day. I know I did [once](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=333910&highlight=email+pope). So how should they address His Holiness when they do?
🙂
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/2 "2013-02-13T07:08:38Z")
As the man is an ordained priest and is no longer a sitting bishop, I’d go with “Father” as the way to address the dude.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/3 "2013-02-13T07:16:12Z")
[According to this article](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2013/02/papal_resignation_explainer_is_benedict_still_infallible_does_the_ex_pope.html), we don’t quite know yet. It seems he’ll definitely be a bishop, but he may or may not be a cardinal.
> [@Jim\_B](#):
>
> The mother of a reigning queen is called the Queen Mother.
Only if she’s a queen herself. The “queen” in queen mother describes the mother, not the child (who could also be a king). Queen Victoria just had a mother.
> [@Jim\_B](#):
>
> Since she is still royal, she will be addressed as “Your Royal Highness” all her life.
Since she’s still a queen, she would be addressed as “Your Majesty.”
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/4 "2013-02-13T07:29:11Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> It seems he’ll definitely be a bishop, but he may or may not be a cardinal.
:smack: That’s right. He’s ordained to the office of Bishop, but is appointed as a Cardinal. He remains a Bishop.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/5 "2013-02-13T07:31:00Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> Only if she’s a queen herself. The “queen” in queen mother describes the mother, not the child (who could also be a king). Queen Victoria just had a mother.
The title “Queen Mother” was a tltle invented for the widow of King George VI, partly because there were two Queen Elizabeths after 1952. The normal title is “queen dowager”. For example, after 1837 (when Victoria became queen) Queen Adelaide was queen dowager, since she was the widow of King William IV – Queen Victoria’s uncle.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/6 "2013-02-13T07:32:32Z")
I have seen “Pontifex Emeritus” suggested.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/7 "2013-02-13T08:01:37Z")
> [@Giles](#):
>
> The title “Queen Mother” was a tltle invented for the widow of King George VI, partly because there were two Queen Elizabeths after 1952. The normal title is “queen dowager”. For example, after 1837 (when Victoria became queen) Queen Adelaide was queen dowager, since she was the widow of King William IV – Queen Victoria’s uncle.
It’s not normal to use “Queen Mother” as a personal title, but the concept of a queen mother goes back farther than 1952. Queen Mary was sometimes called the “queen mother” during her sons’ reigns, but she was never formally called Queen Mary The Queen Mother.
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### Author:  [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/8 "2013-02-13T10:27:25Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#):
>
> Being a president of the United States or, say, a judge, is a title of high honor. You will be addressed that way for the rest of your life (unless you acquire a greater honor somehow). **Etc.**
Nearly all elected and presidentially appointed positions are lifetime titles --except that of the president. Former presidents are addressed as “Mr.”
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### Author:  [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/9 "2013-02-13T12:02:39Z")
Ex-Benedict. They’re not just for breakfast anymore.
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### Author:  [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/10 "2013-02-13T12:28:21Z")
Bennie
Apostolic Palace
00l20 Vatican City State
Europe
Even if he’s not living there, I would imagine they’ll pass it along…🙂
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/11 "2013-02-13T12:33:58Z")
“Yo, Joe!”
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/12 "2013-02-13T15:36:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> I have seen “Pontifex Emeritus” suggested.
Interesting and probably the most defensible. “emeritus” means “veteran” or “retired”, and has plenty of precedent in Professor Emeritus. “Pontifex” was the old title for the Roman religious head before the Christian Church, with “Pontifex maximus” being the highest-ranking. The Christians just adopted it as a reasonable and established title.
What’s interesting is that “Pontifex” has been interpreted as “Bridge Builder”, which seems to be its meaning by construction\*. So the title, which seems to mean “Retired Pope” wouild literally mean “Retired Bridge Builder.”
An arguable, if metaphorical, title for a successgful ex-pope.
\*This seems pretty straightforward sand obvious, but I’m surprised to find there are alternative theories. I probably shouldn’t bem, anymore. see here: [Pontifex maximus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifex_Maximus)
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/13 "2013-02-13T16:20:01Z")
Heard on the radio this morning one of the suggestions being considered is “Bishop of Rome Emeritus.”
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/14 "2013-02-13T16:26:36Z")
That would be clearer in Latin—“Rome Emeritus” sounds that it’s _not_ the Eternal City after all, but it still has a bishop. Why not “Bishop Emeritus of Rome”?
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/15 "2013-02-13T16:29:03Z")
> [@the\_diego](#):
>
> Nearly all elected and presidentially appointed positions are lifetime titles --except that of the president. Former presidents are addressed as “Mr.”
Perhaps that’s the way its supposed to be, but in practice you commonly hear “President Clinton” or “President Bush” even after they left office.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/16 "2013-02-13T18:07:43Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> …Only if she’s a queen herself. The “queen” in queen mother describes the mother, not the child (who could also be a king). Queen Victoria just had a mother…Since she’s still a queen, she would be addressed as “Your Majesty.”
And that only applies to former queens consort (ie the wife of a king); a queen regnant who abdicates is not a queen mother even if she’s the mother of the current monarch. For example Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is abdicating on April 30; afterwards she’ll revert back to being “HRH Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands” just like her mother & grandmother did when they abdicated. Or how in the UK King Edward VIII became “HRH the Prince Edward”, (& was later created Duke of Windsor).
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### Author:  [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/17 "2013-02-13T18:26:39Z")
Holy Grandfather.
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### Author:  [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/18 "2013-02-13T18:29:00Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> “Yo, Joe!”
He’s German, so you would pronounce it as ‘yo yo!’
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### Author:  [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/19 "2013-02-13T18:35:11Z")
> [@the\_diego](#):
>
> Nearly all elected and presidentially appointed positions are lifetime titles --except that of the president. Former presidents are addressed as “Mr.”
Current presidents are also addressed as “Mr.”. I’m pretty sure “Mr. President” is how you address ex-presidents too.
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### Author:  [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/addressing-an-ex-pope/650161/20 "2013-02-13T18:35:26Z")
IIRC, “Bishop Emeritus” is the title of any bishop over 80 (other then the sitting Pope, obviously), and its tradition to tack on the name of the Bishop’s last see to the title, so “Bishop Emeritus of Rome” seems like the title most in keeping with tradition.
On the other hand, the idea of the Pope as “just another Bishop” has a lot of historical baggage, and Benedict and many of the Cardinals might see the ex-Pope taking a title that would fit in with all the other retired Bishops out there as reinforcing that idea.
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