What Does PP Stand For?

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I’ve seen popes sign papal documents with the letters pp after their name. For example Pope Benedict would write Benedict pp XVI. What are these two letters an abbreviation of? I expect it’s two Latin words. What’s their meaning in English?
 
Or* Pontificum*: of the Popes,
which makes sense to me if he uses it as a signature. 🙂
 
It doesn’t seem to make sense to sign yourself Benedict of the Popes XVI. He uses two letter p’s so that would suggest it’s two words. Please respond if you know. If we’re making guesses that’s what they are but how do we know which one it is if we’re guessing?🤷
 
It is Papa. He signs “Benedictus Pp. XVI,” that is, Benedictus Papa Sedecim, Pope Benedict the Sixteenth. Papa is the Latin word for pope.
 
JJRfan said:
I’ve seen popes sign papal documents with the letters pp after their name. For example Pope Benedict would write Benedict pp XVI. What are these two letters an abbreviation of? I expect it’s two Latin words. What’s their meaning in English?
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*Papa Pontifex
 
Can’t say for sure. I asked this question of my boss (a priest & canon lawyer) once, and he said it could mean “Papa” or “Pontificum”.

According to wikipedia 😉 (FWIW)
when used in this case it means “Papa”
 
According to two websites it’s Papa Pontifex. Not found that before so that’s why I posted here. What does Papa Pontifex mean? Google translator says “the high priest of the pope”. Which is not good English.
 
JJRfan said:
According to two websites it’s Papa Pontifex. Not found that before so that’s why I posted here. What does Papa Pontifex mean? Google translator says “the high priest of the pope”. Which is not good English.
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Pontifex literally means bridgemaker.
 
JJRfan said:
According to two websites it’s Papa Pontifex. Not found that before so that’s why I posted here. What does Papa Pontifex mean? Google translator says “the high priest of the pope”. Which is not good English.
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Google translator for Latin is still in development, so ignoring the added “of the”, we get:

Pontifex = Supreme Pontiff (high priest)

Papa = Pope (Father, as in priestly father)

Latin doesn’t have a defined word order, so “Benedict p.p.” means roughly “Pope Benedict, Supreme Pontiff”.
 
runningdude said:
Google translator for Latin is still in development, so ignoring the added “of the”, we get:

Pontifex = Supreme Pontiff (high priest)

Papa = Pope (Father, as in priestly father)

Latin doesn’t have a defined word order, so “Benedict p.p.” means roughly “Pope Benedict, Supreme Pontiff”.
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No, “supreme pontiff” in Latin is “pontifex maximus,” which actually is one of the styles of the popes. However, “Pp.,” as in his signature, means “Papa,” that is, pope.

Read this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope#Signature

Yes, it’s Wikipedia, but this isn’t an essay.
 
JJRfan said:
According to two websites it’s Papa Pontifex. Not found that before so that’s why I posted here. What does Papa Pontifex mean? Google translator says “the high priest of the pope”. Which is not good English.
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“Every bishop is a Pontifex but only one is the “father” of the others.”

From an old post

So, the Pope is the father of all Bishops.
 
What I learned about this was that the “PP” stands for Pater Patruum (may be a spelling error there), which means *“Father of Fathers.” *Same root words (pope / papa / father) but as used in his official signature, it signifies the pope’s role as above all other ecclesiastical offices,
 
Supreme Pontiff is the translation of *Pontifex Maximus.

Given by Fr. John Hardon in the Modern Catholic Dictionary:

*PP. Papa–pope; pontificum–of the popes.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
What I learned about this was that the “PP” stands for Pater Patruum (may be a spelling error there), which means *“Father of Fathers.” *Same root words (pope / papa / father) but as used in his official signature, it signifies the pope’s role as above all other ecclesiastical offices,
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“Pater Patruum” according to Catholic Encyclopia is linked to the cult of Mithracism and “Pope Joan”.

However, as Vico posted above :
PP. Pope of the Popes is used as a Catholic title for the Pope.

PP. – Papa (“Pope”); Pontificum
(“Of the popes”)
 
YoungTradCath said:
No, “supreme pontiff” in Latin is “pontifex maximus,” which actually is one of the styles of the popes. However, “Pp.,” as in his signature, means “Papa,” that is, pope.

Read this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope#Signature

Yes, it’s Wikipedia, but this isn’t an essay.
Click to expand...
Then Wikipedia contradicts itself. Because here under the heading “Religion” it states that PP = Papa Pontifex. Two words for PP makes more sense than one.
 
JJRfan said:
If it is papa why do they use two P’s? Is papa Latin? I’m sure it’s two Latin words.
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Why does English abbreviate the word Saint with 2 letters (St), while Latin does so with one (S)? 🤷

It is simply the convention.

tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
Why does English abbreviate the word Saint with 2 letters (St), while Latin does so with one (S)? 🤷

It is simply the convention.

tee
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OK weak argument. I don’t think there’s any rules in English to form abbreviations. I don’t know with respect to Latin. Anyway it seems PP stands for “Papa Pontifex”. I have no Latin but I guess that’d be “Father of the pontiffs” with pontiffs being all bishops.
 
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