Orb, in addition to being a fancy name for sphere, refers to a globe with a cross on top that was held by medieval kings as a symbol of sovereignty - a Globus cruciger. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Popes had one among their regalia also, though I don't know how to check that," says Bowen. "In Latin, orbs terrarum or circle of lands was a synonym for the world (which as far as they knew had the Mediterranean at its center and various countries circled around it and stretching back from its shores). Also, the Pope gives an annual blessing from his balcony that is called urbis et orbis (i.e. [blessing] of the city and the world)."