Sedevacantism
/ˌsiːdiːvəˈkæntɪzəm/noun
A traditionalist Catholic position holding that the papal see is vacant and that no valid pope currently occupies it.
Did you know?It comes from the Latin legal formula sede vacante, used when a bishop’s seat is vacant, and the modern movement’s name turns that administrative phrase into a full-blown theological stance.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
sēdēs vacāns
“a seat that is vacant or unoccupied”
Ecclesiastical Latin
Latin
sede vacante
“with the chair or see vacant, used for an unfilled bishopric or papacy”
20th Century
English
sedevacantism
“the belief that the papal see is presently vacant”
Modern English
English
sedevacantism
“the doctrine that there has been no valid pope since a certain point in time”