legates

Legates are individuals deputized to act on behalf of a sovereign, government, or religious authority. The term denotes someone entrusted with authority to negotiate, decide, or oversee matters in the name of the appointing body, rather than a figure chosen to represent a group in voting or deliberation alone.

The word derives from the Latin legatus, meaning “one sent.” In historical use, legates often held high status and carried formal commissions that granted them broad or restricted powers to act for the appointing authority. The sense can apply in secular diplomacy as well as in ecclesiastical contexts.

In the Catholic Church, papal legates are special diplomats appointed by the pope to represent him in missions, negotiations, or to preside at councils. Distinctions exist within papal legates, such as those who operate with full papal authority or with authority limited to a specific task or region. The role of a legate is generally distinct from that of a nuncio (a permanent church diplomat with hierarchical reporting) and from lay ambassadors or envoys in secular diplomacy.

In modern usage, legates are less common in everyday diplomacy, where terms such as envoy, ambassador, or special envoy are more typical. The title remains relevant in historical discussion and in the formal language of the Catholic Church, where legates symbolize formal, mission-specific representation and delegated authority.

See also: envoy, ambassador, nuncio, legatus.