GOVERNMENT
The Pope exercises supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City. Pope Benedict XVI, former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, was elected and invested on April 19 and formally inaugurated on April 24, 2005.
The term "Holy See" refers to the composite of the authority, jurisdiction, and sovereignty vested in the Pope and his advisers to direct the worldwide Roman Catholic Church. As the "central government" of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See has a legal personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic representatives. The Holy See has formal diplomatic relations with 177 nations and the Order of Malta, including the United States and some predominantly Muslim countries. The Holy See also maintains relations of a special nature with the Russian Federation and the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine.
Created in 1929 to provide a territorial identity for the Holy See in Rome, the State of Vatican City is a recognized national territory under international law. The Holy See enters into international agreements and receives and sends diplomatic representatives.
Administration
of the Vatican City
The Pope delegates the internal administration of the Vatican City to the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. Vatican City maintains the Swiss Guards, a voluntary military force, as well as a modern security corps. It has its own post office, commissary, bank, railway station, electrical generating plant, television center, and publishing house. The Vatican also issues its own coins and stamps and has its own Internet domain (.va). Vatican Radio, the official radio station, is one of the most influential in Europe. L'Osservatore Romano is the semi-official newspaper, published daily in Italian, and weekly in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French (plus a monthly edition in Polish). There is also a weekly version published in Italian, as well as a weekly version in Malayalam (a language of India), started on April 3, 2007.
Administration
of the Holy See
The Pope exercises his authority through the Roman Curia and the Papal Civil Service. The Roman Curia consists of the Secretariat of State, nine Congregations, three Tribunals, 11 Pontifical Councils, and a complex of offices that administer church affairs at the highest level. The Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. On September 15, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as Secretary of State (a role equivalent to that of prime minister) and appointed Archbishop Dominique Mamberti as Secretary for Relations with States (equivalent to foreign minister).
Among the most active of the major Curial institutions are the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Church doctrine; the Congregation for Bishops, which coordinates the appointment of bishops worldwide; the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which oversees all missionary activities; and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which deals with international peace and social issues.
Three
tribunals are responsible for judicial power. The Apostolic Penitentiary
deals with matters of conscience; the Roman Rota is responsible
for appeals, including annulments of marriage; and the Apostolic
Signatura is the final court of appeal.
The
Prefecture for Economic Affairs coordinates the finances of the
Holy See departments and supervises the administration of the
Patrimony of the Holy See, an investment fund dating back to the
Lateran Pacts. A committee of 15 cardinals, chaired by the Secretary
of State, has final oversight authority over all financial matters
of the Holy See, including those of the Institute for Works of
Religion, the Vatican bank.
Principal Government Officials
Head of State--Pope Benedict XVI
Secretary of State (Prime Minister)--Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
Deputy Secretary of State--Archbishop Leonardo Sandri
Secretary for Relations with States (Foreign Minister)--Archbishop Dominique Mamberti
Apostolic Nuncio (equivalent to Ambassador) to the United States--Archbishop Pietro Sambi
The Holy
See maintains an Apostolic Nunciature, the equivalent of an embassy,
in the U.S. at 3339 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008,
(202) 333-7121.
Papal
Audiences
The North American College in Rome, owned and operated by the
U.S. Catholic hierarchy for training American priests, handles
requests for papal audiences. The address is Casa Santa Maria
dell'Umilta, Via dell'Umilta 30, 00187, Rome, Italy (tel. 39-06-690-0189).
Government
Type: Papacy; ecclesiastical governmental and
administrative capital of the Roman Catholic Church
Independence: Lateran Pacts confirming independence
and sovereignty of The Holy See signed with Italy on February
11, 1929.
Suffrage: Limited to Cardinals less than 80 years
old
