The Secretariat of State is the oldest dicastery in the Roman Curia, the government of the Roman Catholic Church. It is headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, currently Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, and performs all the political and diplomatic functions of Vatican City and the Holy See. The Secretariat is divided into two sections, the Section for General Affairs and the Section for Relations with States, known as the First Section and Second Section, respectively.^[1] The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... The Roman Curia - usually (but simplistically) called the Vatican - is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... A congregation is a type of dicastery of the Roman Curia, the central administrative organism of the Catholic Church. ... Cardinal Vicar is the title of the the vicar general of the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, for the spiritual administration of the city, and its surrounding district, known in Latin as Vicarius Urbis. ... The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State is the legislative body of Vatican City. ... The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... The Lateran Treaties of February 11, 1929 provided for the mutual recognition of the then Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican City. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Dicasteries (from Greek: δικαστ, judge/juror) are the central offices of the Roman Curia in which the stewardship of the Roman Catholic Church is entrusted. ... The Roman Curia - usually (but simplistically) called the Vatican - is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... The Cardinal Secretary of State presides over the Vatican Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone is the Archbishop of Genoa and was considered papabile following the death of Pope John Paul II. His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone (born 2 December 1934) is Archbishop of Genoa and a Cardinal Priest in the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Section for General Affairs

The Section for General Affairs handles the normal operations of the Church. In the Vatican, the first section organizes the activities of the Curia and appointments to curial offices, maintains papal documents, keeps the papal seal and Fisherman's Ring, handles the concerns of embassies to the Holy See, and publishes official communications. Abroad, the first section is responsible for organizing the activities of nuncios around the world in their activities concerning the local church.^[2] The Roman Curia - usually (but simplistically) called the Vatican - is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... The Ring of the Fisherman or Pescatorio is an official part of the regalia worn by the pope, described by the Roman Catholic Church as the successor of Saint Peter, a fisherman by trade. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin Nuntius, meaning any envoy. ...

The first section is headed by an archbishop known as the Substitute for General Affairs. The current Substitute is Leonardo Sandri. In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Leonardo Sandri (born November 18, 1943) is the Titular Archbishop of Aemona[1], Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, and Substitute for General Affairs of the Holy Sees Secretariat of State. ...

Section for Relations with States

The Section for Relations with States is responsible for the Holy See's interactions with civil governments. The second section organizes the actions of nuncios with the local government, enters concordats and treaties with other states, and represents the Holy See in international organizations, such as the United Nations. The second section also participates in the organization of the various particular churches in communion with Rome in conjunction with the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the appointment of bishops to local dioceses in conjunction with the Congregation for Bishops.^[3] A concordat is an agreement between the pope and a government or sovereign on religious matters. ... Single European Act A treaty is a binding agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... A Particular Church , in Roman Catholic theology and canon law, is any of the individual constituent ecclesial communities in full communion with the Church of Rome and thus make up the Catholic Communion. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... The Congregation for the Oriental Churches (Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus) is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Oriental Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical, disciplinary... Two bishops assist at the Exhumation of Saint Hubert, who was a bishop too, at the église Saint-Pierre in Liège. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The Congregation for Bishops (Congregatio pro Episcopis) is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops pending papal approval. ...

The second section is headed by an archbishop known as the Secretary for Relations with States. The secretary is often called the foreign minister of the Vatican. The current Secretary for Relations with States is Dominique Mamberti. The Secretary for Relations with States is the foreign minister of the Holy See, an official serving within the Secretariat of State, presiding over its Second Section. This titular archbishop, the Vaticans top foreign-policy official, deals with relations between the Holy See and other government and international bodies. ... A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the governmental foreign policy of a sovereign nation. ... Dominique François Joseph Mamberti (7 March 1952-) is the current Secretary for Relations with States in the Roman Curia for the Holy See. ...

The current Secretary of State is Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone is the Archbishop of Genoa and was considered papabile following the death of Pope John Paul II. His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone (born 2 December 1934) is Archbishop of Genoa and a Cardinal Priest in the Roman Catholic Church. ...

External links

• Secretariat of State by Giga-Catholic Information
• Profile of the Secretariat from vatican.va
• The Pope's Team: the Vatican's Secretariat of State from Catholic Culture

References

1. ^ Pope John Paul II (1998), Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, Article 40
2. ^ Ibid, Articles 41-44
3. ^ Ibid, Articles 45-47