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His Eminence (abbreviationH.Em. orHE) is astyle of reference forhigh nobility, still in use in various religious contexts.
The style remains in use as the official style or standard form of address in reference to acardinal of theCatholic Church, reflecting his status as aPrince of the Church.
A longer, and more formal, title is "His [orYour when addressing the cardinal directly]Most Reverend Eminence".[a]
Patriarchs ofEastern Catholic Churches who are also cardinals may be addressed as "His Eminence" or by the style particular to Catholic patriarchs,His Beatitude.
When theGrand Master of theSovereign Military Order of Malta, the head of state of their sovereignterritorial state comprising the island of Malta until 1797, who had already been made aReichsfürst (i.e., prince of the Holy Roman Empire) in 1607, became (in terms of honorary order of precedence, not in the actual church hierarchy of ordained ministers) the most senior official after the most junior member of the cardinals in 1630, he was also awarded the hybrid styleHis Most Eminent Highness (abbreviationHMEH) to recognize his status as a type of Prince of the Church.[1]
ThePrince andGrand Master of the contemporarySovereign Military Order of Malta is still styled His Most Eminent Highness. Styles such as "His Grand Eminence" or "His Eminent Grace" amongst others were used as well, some formalized by thePope or other powers, such as monarchs. However, many others were simply the personal preference of the cardinal and by the merit of other earthly offices.
While the term is shunned by many individuals of otherfaiths ordenominations ofChristianity, the title is officially maintained in internationaldiplomacy without regard for itsdoctrinal,philosophical andtheological origins.
Archbishops under theEcumenical Patriarchate andmetropolitans in theEastern Orthodox Church are addressed with the style of "Eminence".[2]Archbishops of independent churches are addressed with the style of "Beatitude".Titular metropolitans are addressed with the style of "Excellency".
TheEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and theMetropolitan Bishop ofThessaloniki (when they are inside their territorial jurisdictions) are styled "His All-Holiness". The patriarchs ofAlexandria,Antiochia andJerusalem, as well as theSerbian,Bulgarian andRussian patriarchs, are referred to as "His Holiness", whileRomanian Patriarchs are referred to as "His Beatitude". The patriarch of theGeorgian Orthodox Church is a unique exception, being addressed as "His Holiness and Beatitude".
InOriental Orthodoxy, Archbishops holding the rank ofmetropolitan are referred to as "His Eminence".
InSyriac Orthodox Church theCatholicos of the East who is also theMaphrian of the East and the Bishop holding the ecclesiastical office of theCatholicos of India is referred to as "His Beatitude Catholicose".
In thePhilippine Independent Church, anIndependent Catholic denomination withAnglo-Catholic[3] orientation, thesupreme bishops, who are the church's headprimates, are referred to as "His Eminence" and "Your Eminence" in their officialform of address or style.
InTibetan Buddhism andBön,His Eminence/Your Eminence is the English translation of several Tibetan titles (e.g.,Khentin) which signify associate lineage holders and regents of lineages. If the lineage holder of any particular lineage is referred to in English asHis Holiness, then the teachers immediately subordinate will usually be accorded the English titleHis Eminence. For example, in theKarma Kagyu, His Holiness the 16thGyalwa Karmapa had 4 principal disciples who held regency until the enthronement of the 17th Karmapa. Each of these 4 highlamas hold/held the titleHis Eminence. In the SouthernDrukpa Kagyu inBhutan, the Five Lopons of the Zhung Dratshang are styled "Their Eminences".
It is also used, often informally (perhaps as a rendering of an oriental style), inIslam for highly honorable religious leaders. For example, anAyatollah orMarja' inShia, Imam of theSunni Barelwi school of thought, Grand Master of theMurjite Order,[4] Moulana Syed Madani Mia, is often addressed with this title, along with individuals such as Moulana Khushtar Siddiqi ofMauritius, although these titles are, in essence, unofficial. Beyond this, thetraditional rulers of thesub-national states of theFulani,Hausa,Nupe andKanuri peoples ofNigeria use the style as an alternative to theHRH style that is usually used by the country's royal monarchs, highlighting by so doing their positions as spiritual as well as temporal leaders. The Lord of theRasulid Order is styledHis Most Eminent Royal Highness (abbreviatedHMERH).[5]
| Catholic Church | Style |
|---|---|
| Pope | His Holiness |
| Cardinal | His Eminence |
| Bishop | His Excellency |
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