Johannes Paulus PP II

[scriabin]

What does the PP stand for? I once read in Our Sunday Visitor that it stood for the high priest of Rome; but I can’t remember the specifics.

Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

 

[tee_eff_em]

It is merely an abbreviation for "

p

o

p

e" (or rather, for the Latin *

p

a

p

a*)

tee

 

[scriabin]

Thanks, tee. Gee, that wasn’t anything like I remembered. I thought it had something to do with the word “pontifex.” Thanks, again.

 

[gargano]

Wikipedia tells us PP stands for “Pastor Pastorum” - shepherd of the shepherds. Maybe they’re right.
Gargano

 

[tee_eff_em]

Depends on which part of wikipaedia you are reading – Read all the way to the end of this section en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talkope_Benedict_XVI/Archive10#Latin .

The abbreviation is also expanded on this page of the Old Catholic Encyclopedia.

tee

 

[Caesar]

Funny little story…

When John Paul II was first elected to the Papacy he began to sign his name Johannes Paulus II. One of the Latinists in Rome politely reminded the Holy Father that Latin does not have the letter J, prompting His Holiness to respond, “it does now!”.

Of course the Latinists had the last laugh, since his tomb reads Iohannes Paulus II