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The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Vatican
Vatican City

Vatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a Landlocked country sovereignty city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the Capital of Italy....
 Secretariat of State
Secretariat of State (Vatican)

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, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, and performs all the political and diplomatic functions of Vatican City and the Holy See....
, which is the oldest and most important dicastery
Dicastery

Dicastery is an Italicism sometimes used in English to refer to the Departments of the Roman Curia.Apart from the Secretariat of State , these Dicasteries or Departments are grouped in the following categories:...
 of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope....
. The Cardinal Secretary is regarded as being in charge of the political and diplomatic activities of the Holy See
Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church....
 and is thus referred to as being the Holy See's "Prime Minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
". Since 1991, Cardinal Secretaries have been Presidents of the Interdicasterial Commission on Particular Churches and Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe.

The current Cardinal Secretary of State is Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone

Tarcisio Bertone, Salesians of Don Bosco is an Italy Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, having previously served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995 and Archbishop of Genoa from 2002 to 2006....
 of Italy, who has served since 15 September 2006.

Cardinal Secretary is appointed by the Pope
Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
, and serves as one of his principal advisors.






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The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Vatican
Vatican City

Vatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a Landlocked country sovereignty city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the Capital of Italy....
 Secretariat of State
Secretariat of State (Vatican)

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, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, and performs all the political and diplomatic functions of Vatican City and the Holy See....
, which is the oldest and most important dicastery
Dicastery

Dicastery is an Italicism sometimes used in English to refer to the Departments of the Roman Curia.Apart from the Secretariat of State , these Dicasteries or Departments are grouped in the following categories:...
 of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope....
. The Cardinal Secretary is regarded as being in charge of the political and diplomatic activities of the Holy See
Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church....
 and is thus referred to as being the Holy See's "Prime Minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
". Since 1991, Cardinal Secretaries have been Presidents of the Interdicasterial Commission on Particular Churches and Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe.

The current Cardinal Secretary of State is Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone

Tarcisio Bertone, Salesians of Don Bosco is an Italy Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, having previously served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995 and Archbishop of Genoa from 2002 to 2006....
 of Italy, who has served since 15 September 2006.

Duties

The Cardinal Secretary is appointed by the Pope
Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
, and serves as one of his principal advisors. As one of the senior offices in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
, the Secretary is required to be a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
. If the office is vacant, a non-cardinal may serve as Pro-Secretary of State, exercising the powers of the Secretary of State until a suitable replacement is found or the Pro-Secretary is made a cardinal in a subsequent consistory
Consistory

AntiquityOriginally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion .In the Roman empire, it was specifically applied to a formal meeting of the Comites consistoriales, i.e....
.

The Cardinal Secretary's term ends when the Pope who appointed him dies or leaves office. During the sede vacante
Sede vacante

Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church....
 period, the former Secretary acts as a member of a commission with the Cardinal Camerlengo
Camerlengo

The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an official of the Papal court.The Camerlengo is the administrator of the property and revenues of the Holy See; his responsibilities formerly included the fiscal administration of the Papal States....
 and the former President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State

The President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State is the leader of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, the legislative body of Vatican City....
, which exercises some of the functions of the head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 of the Vatican City until a new Pope is elected. Once the new Pope is chosen, the former Secretary's role in the commission likewise expires, though he can be (and usually is) re-appointed as Secretary of State.

History

The office traces its origins to that of secretary intimus, created by Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X, born Giovanni de' Medici was Pope from 1513 to his death. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St....
 in the early 16th century to handle correspondence with the diplomatic missions of the Holy See
Diplomatic missions of the Holy See

Since the fifth century, long before the founding of the Vatican City State in 1929, papal envoys have represented the Holy See to foreign potentates....
, which were just beginning to become permanent postings instead of missions sent on particular occasions. At this stage the secretary was a fairly minor functionary, the Vatican administration being led by the Cardinal Nephew
Cardinal-nephew

A cardinal-nephew is a Cardinal elevated by a pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries....
, the Pope's confidant usually taken from his family.

The imprudence of Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III

Pope Julius III , born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from February 7, 1550 to 1555....
 in entrusting the office of Cardinal Nephew to Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte
Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte

Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and a figure of notoriety in his age.Born in Borgo San Donnino, now Fidenza, the son of a female beggar and an unknown father, the illiterate but vivacious and good-looking 14 year old was picked up on the streets of Parma by Cardinal Giovanni Maria Del Monte and officiall...
, a teenaged, illegitimate, virtually illiterate street urchin whom his brother had adopted a few years earlier, led to an upgrading of the Secretary's job, as the incumbent had to take over the duties the Cardinal Nephew was unfit for. By the time of Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X

Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle Girolamo Pamphilj as auditor of the Rot...
 the Secretary of State was always himself a Cardinal, and Pope Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII

Pope Innocent XII , born Antonio Pignatelli was Pope from 1691 to 1700. He was the successor of Pope Alexander VIII ....
 abolished the office of Cardinal Nephew in 1692. From then onwards the Secretary of State has been the most important of the officials of the Holy See.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978....
's apostolic constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae further enhanced the powers of the Secretary, placing him over all the other departments of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope....
. In 1973 Paul further broadened the Secretaryship by abolishing the ancient office of Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church and merging its functions into those of the Secretary.

Secretaries of State between 1551 and 1644

  • Girolamo Dandini
    Girolamo Dandini (1509-1559)

    In the Papal curia the first man to fill the position of cardinal-secretary of state was the newly created Cardinal, Girolamo Dandini . By the time of Pope Innocent X the Secretary of State was always himself a Cardinal, and Pope Innocent XII abolished the office of Cardinal Nephew in 1692....
     (1551-1555)
  • Carlo Borromeo (1560-1565)
  • Tolomeo Gallio
    Tolomeo Gallio

    Tolomeo Gallio was an Italian Cardinal .In the time of Pope Gregory XIII, he acted as papal secretary of state , having a key role in the curia....
     (1565-1566)
  • Girolamo Rusticucci (1566-1572)
  • Tolomeo Gallio
    Tolomeo Gallio

    Tolomeo Gallio was an Italian Cardinal .In the time of Pope Gregory XIII, he acted as papal secretary of state , having a key role in the curia....
     (again) (1572-1585)
  • Decio Azzolini (seniore) (1585-1587)
  • Alessandro Peretti de Montalto (Cardinal-Nephew) (1587-1590)
  • Paolo Emilio Sfondrati
    Paolo Emilio Sfondrati

    Paolo Emilio Sfondrati was an Italian Cardinal .Born to a noble family in Milan and the nephew of Pope Gregory XIV, he was the cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia, papal legate in Bologna, member of the Congregation of the Sant'Offizio and a good friend of San Filippo Neri....
     (Cardinal-Nephew) (1591)
  • Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce (Cardinal-Nephew) (1591)
  • Pierbenedetto Peretti (1592-1593)
  • Pietro Aldobrandini
    Pietro Aldobrandini

    Pietro Aldobrandini was an Italian Cardinal and patron of the arts.He was made a cardinal in 1593 by his uncle, Pope Clement VIII. He took over the duchy of Ferrara in 1598 when it fell to the Papal States....
     (Cardinal-Nephew) (1593-1605)
  • Erminio Valenti (1605)
  • Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese (Cardinal-Nephew) (1605-1621)
  • Ludovico Ludovisi (Cardinal-Nephew) (1621-1623)
  • Lorenzo Magalotti (1623-1628)
  • Lorenzo Azzolini (1628-1632)
  • Pietro Benessa (1632-1634)
  • Francesco Ceva (1634-1643)
  • Giovanni Battista Spada (1643-1644)


Cardinal Secretaries of State since 1644


  1. Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli (1644-1651)
  2. Fabio Chigi
    Pope Alexander VII

    Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from April 7, 1655, until his death....
      (1651-1655); then elected Pope Alexander VII
    Pope Alexander VII

    Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from April 7, 1655, until his death....
     (1655-1667)
  3. Giulio Rospigliosi
    Pope Clement IX

    Pope Clement IX , born Giulio Rospigliosi, was Pope from 1667 to 1669....
     (1655-1667); then elected Pope Clement IX
    Pope Clement IX

    Pope Clement IX , born Giulio Rospigliosi, was Pope from 1667 to 1669....
     (1667-1669)
  4. Decio Azzolini the younger (1667-1669)
  5. Federico Borromeo junior (1670-1673)
  6. Francesco Nerli (1673-1676)
  7. Alderano Cybo (1676-1689)
  8. Giambattista Rubini (1689-1691)
  9. Fabrizio Spada (1691-1700)
  10. Fabrizio Paolucci (1700-1721) (1° period)
  11. Giorgio Spinola (1721-1724)
  12. Fabrizio Paolucci (1724-1726) (2° period)
  13. Niccolò Maria Lercari (1726-1730)
  14. Antonio Banchieri (1730-1733)
  15. Giuseppe Firrao sr (1733-1740)
  16. Silvio Valenti Gonzaga
    Silvio Valenti Gonzaga

    Silvio Valenti Gonzaga was an Italian nobleman and Catholic priest.Gonzaga was born in Mantua. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1738 by Pope Clement XII. He died in Viterbo....
     (1740-1756)
  17. Alberico Archinto
    Alberico Archinto

    Alberico Archinto ? was an Italian cardinal and papal diplomat.He entered the Roman Curia in 1724. Twelve years later he was ordained to the priesthood, and on November 1, 1739 received episcopal consecration as titular archbishop of Nicea....
     (1756-1758)
  18. Ludovico Maria Torriggiani (1758-1769)
  19. Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicini (1769-1785)
  20. Ignazio Boncompagni Ludovisi (1785-1789)
  21. Francesco Saverio de Zelada
    Francesco Saverio de Zelada

    Cardinal Francesco Saverio de Zelada was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church born of a Spanish family, who pursued a career as a bureaucrat and diplomat in the Papal Curia....
     (1789-1796)
  22. Ignazio Busca
    Ignazio Busca

    Ignazio Busca was an Italian Cardinal and Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See. He was the last son of Lodovico Busca, marquess of Lomagna and Bianca Arconati Visconti....
     (1796-1797)
  23. Giuseppe Doria Pamphili (1797-1799)
  24. Ercole Consalvi, pro-segretary (1800); segretary(1800-1806)
  25. Filippo Casoni (1806-1808)
  26. Giulio Gabrielli the Younger
    Giulio Gabrielli the Younger

    Giulio Gabrielli was an Italy Catholic Church's Cardinal . He was part of the Roman Curia, and later archbishop of Senigallia 1808–1816....
     (1808-1814) -Giuseppe Doria Pamphilj, pro-segretary (1808) -Bartolomeo Pacca, pro-segretary (1808-1814)
  27. Ercole Consalvi (1814-1823)
  28. Giulio Maria della Somaglia
    Giulio Maria della Somaglia

    Giulio Maria della Somaglia was an Italy cardinal . He was ? at least in his later life ? a staunch Zelanti cardinal who, as Secretary of State under Pope Leo XII, helped enforce an authoritarian regime in the crumbling Papal States....
     (1823-1828)
  29. Tommaso Bernetti, pro-segretary (1828-1829) (1° period)
  30. Giuseppe Albani (1829-1830)
  31. Tommaso Bernetti, pro-segretary (1831); cardinal segretario (1831-1836) (2° period)
  32. Luigi Lambruschini
    Luigi Lambruschini

    Luigi Cardinal Lambruschini was an Italy cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid nineteenth century....
     (1836-1846)
  33. Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi
    Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi

    Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi was an italy prelate who rose to the highest ranks in the Roman Catholic Church during the first half of 19th century....
     (1846-1847)
  34. Gabriele Ferretti (1847-1848)
  35. Giuseppe Bofondi (1848-1848)
  36. Giacomo Antonelli
    Giacomo Antonelli

    Giacomo Cardinal Antonelli was an Italy cardinal deacon. He was the Cardinal Secretary of State from 1848 until his death; he played a key role in Italian politics, resisting the unification of Italy and affecting Roman Catholic interests in European affairs....
     (1848-1848)(1° period)
  37. Anton Orioli (1848-1848), cardinal secretary ad interim
  38. Giovanni Soglia Ceroni (1848-1848)
  39. Giacomo Antonelli
    Giacomo Antonelli

    Giacomo Cardinal Antonelli was an Italy cardinal deacon. He was the Cardinal Secretary of State from 1848 until his death; he played a key role in Italian politics, resisting the unification of Italy and affecting Roman Catholic interests in European affairs....
     (1848-1876) (2° period)
  40. Giovanni Simeoni
    Giovanni Simeoni

    Giovanni Cardinal Simeoni was an Italy prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 1878 until his death, and was elevated to the Cardinal in 1875....
     (1876-1878)
  41. Alessandro Franchi (1878-1878)
  42. Lorenzo Nina 1878-1880)
  43. Luigi Jacobini
    Luigi Jacobini

    Luigi Cardinal Jacobi was an Italy prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Cardinal Secretary of State from 1880 until his death, and was elevated to the Cardinal in 1879....
     (16 Dec 1880-1887)
  44. Mariano Rampolla (1887-1903)
  45. Rafael Merry del Val (1903-1914)
  46. Domenico Ferrata (Sept-Oct 1914)
  47. Pietro Gasparri
    Pietro Gasparri

    Pietro Cardinal Gasparri Doctor of Philosophy was a Roman Catholic archbishop, diplomat and politician in the Roman Curia and signatory of the Lateran Pacts....
     (1914-1930)
  48. Eugenio Pacelli
    Pope Pius XII

    Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as the 260th pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death in 1958....
     (1930-1939) then elected Pope Pius XII
    Pope Pius XII

    Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as the 260th pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death in 1958....
  49. Luigi Maglione
    Luigi Cardinal Maglione

    Luigi Maglione was an Italy Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Cardinal Secretary of State under Pope Pius XII from 1939 until his death, and was elevated to the Cardinal in 1935....
     (1939-1944)
  50. Domenico Tardini (1958-1961)
  51. Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (1961-1969)
  52. Jean-Marie Villot (1969-1979)
  53. Agostino Casaroli (1979-1990)
  54. Angelo Sodano
    Angelo Sodano

    Angelo Cardinal Sodano, is an Italy prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Dean of the College of Cardinals and former Cardinal Secretary of State, having held that post from 1990 to 2006, under both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI....
     (1991-2006)
  55. Tarcisio Bertone (15 September 2006 - )


See also

  • Secretary of State
    Secretary of State

    Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a member of government. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government....


External links