Cardinal Secretary of State
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post Template:Politics of Vatican City The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Template:Langx; Template:Langx), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia.[1] The Secretariat of State performs all the political and diplomatic functions of the Holy See and Vatican City. The secretary of state is sometimes described as the prime minister of the Holy See, but the head of government of Vatican City is the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.[2]
Cardinal Pietro Parolin has served as secretary of state since 2013, nominated by Francis and temporarily confirmed also by Leo XIV in May 2025.[3]
Duties
The secretary of state is appointed by the Pope, and serves as one of his principal advisors. As one of the senior offices in the Roman Catholic Church, the secretary is required to be a cardinal. If the office is vacant, a someone other than a cardinal may serve as provisional 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.[4]
The secretary's term ends when the Pope who appointed him dies or leaves office. During the sede vacante period, the former secretary acts as a member of a commission with the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and the former President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, which exercises some of the functions of the head of state of the Vatican City State 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 re-appointed as Secretary of State.[4]
History
The office traces its origins to that of secretarius intimus, created by Pope Leo X in the early 16th century to handle correspondence with the diplomatic missions of the Holy See, 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 papal administration being led by the Cardinal Nephew, the Pope's confidant usually taken from his family.
The imprudence of Pope Julius III in entrusting the office of Cardinal Nephew to his alleged lover Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte, a teenaged, 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 the Secretary of State was always himself a Cardinal, and Pope Innocent XII 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.
The separate position of Cardinal Secretary for Internal State Affairs was created by Pope Gregory XVI in 1833 at the request of Tommaso Bernetti, then Secretary of State, reducing the workload of the Secretary of State.[5]
In 1968, Pope Paul VI's apostolic constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae further enhanced the powers of the Secretary of State, placing him over all the other departments of the Roman Curia. In 1973 Pope 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 of State.
List
Secretaries of State between 1551 and 1644
- Girolamo Dandini (1551–1555)
- Carlo Borromeo (1560–1565)
- Tolomeo Gallio (1565–1566)
- Girolamo Rusticucci (1566–1572)
- Tolomeo Gallio (again) (1572–1585)
- Decio Azzolini (seniore) (1585–1587)
- Alessandro Peretti di Montalto (Cardinal Nephew) (1587–1590)
- Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (Cardinal Nephew) (1591)
- Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce (Cardinal Nephew) (1591)
- Pierbenedetto Peretti (1592–1593)
- Pietro Aldobrandini (Cardinal Nephew) and Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini (Cardinal Nephew) (1593–1605)
- Roberto Ubaldini (1605)
- Erminio Valenti (1605)
- Lanfranco Margotti (1605–1611)
- Porfirio Feliciani (1611–1621)
- Giovanni Battista Agucchi (1621–1623)
- Lorenzo Magalotti (1623–1628)
- Lorenzo Azzolini (1628–1632)
- Pietro Benessa (1632–1634)
- Francesco Adriano Ceva (1634–1643)
- Giovanni Battista Spada (1643–1644)
Cardinal Secretaries of State since 1644
| No.[6] | Name | From | Until | First appointer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Giovanni Giacomo Panziroli.jpg | Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli (1587–1651)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
15 September 1644 | 3 September 1651 † | Innocent X |
| 2 | File:Fabio Chigi.PNG | Fabio Chigi (1599–1667)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3 December 1652 | 7 January 1655 | |
| 3 | File:Morandi Giovanni Maria - Ritratto del cardinale Giulio Rospigliosi, 1667, Inventario n. 5059.jpg | Giulio Rospigliosi (1600–1669)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
7 April 1655 | 22 May 1667 | Alexander VII |
| 4 | File:Ritratto del cardinale Decio Azzolino - Voet.jpg | Decio Azzolino (1623–1689)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
25 June 1667 | 9 December 1669 | Clement IX |
| 5 | File:Federico Borromeo il Giovane.jpg | Federico Borromeo (1617–1673)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
11 May 1670 | 18 February 1673 † | Clement X |
| 6 | File:Cardinal Francesco Nerli by Ferdinand Voet.jpg | Francesco Nerli (1636–1708)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1 August 1673 | 22 July 1676 | |
| 7 | File:Carlo Maratta - Portrait of cardinal Alderano Cybo.jpg | Alderano Cybo-Malaspina (1613–1700)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
23 September 1676 | 12 August 1689 | Innocent XI |
| 8 | File:Portret van kardinaal Giambattista Rubini Ioannes Baptista S.R.E. die XIII febrvarii MDCXC (titel op object), RP-P-1909-5583.jpg | Giambattista Rubini (1642–1707)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
6 October 1689 | 1 February 1691 | Alexander VIII |
| 9 | File:Fabrizio Spada.jpg | Fabrizio Spada (1643–1717)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
14 July 1691 | 27 September 1700 | Innocent XII |
| 10 | File:Fabrizio Paolucci.jpg | Fabrizio Paolucci (1651–1726)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3 December 1700 | 19 March 1721 | Clement XI |
| 11 | File:Giorgio Spinola.jpg | Giorgio Spinola (1667–1739)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
10 May 1721 | 7 March 1724 | Innocent XIII |
| 12 (10) |
File:Fabrizio Paolucci.jpg | Fabrizio Paolucci (1651–1726)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
6 June 1724 | 12 June 1726 † | Benedict XIII |
| 13 | File:Niccolò Maria Lercari.jpg | Niccolò Maria Lercari (1675–1757)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
21 June 1726 | 21 February 1730 | |
| 14 | File:Antonio Banchieri.jpg | Antonio Banchieri (1667–1733)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
15 July 1730 | 16 September 1733 † | Clement XII |
| 15 | File:Giuseppe Firrao il Vecchio.JPG | Giuseppe Firrao the Elder (1670–1744)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
4 October 1733 | 6 February 1740 | |
| 16 | File:Subleyras cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga.jpg | Silvio Valenti Gonzaga (1690–1756)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
20 August 1740 | 28 August 1756 † | Benedict XIV |
| 17 | File:Alberico Archinto-Anton Raphael Mengs-MBA Lyon H687-IMG 0448.jpg | Alberico Archinto (1698–1758)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
20 September 1756 | 30 September 1758 † | |
| 18 | File:Ludovico Maria Torrigiani.JPG | Ludovico Maria Torriggiani (1697–1777)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
8 October 1758 | 2 February 1769 | Clement XIII |
| 19 | File:Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicini2.jpg | Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicini (1719–1785)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
19 May 1769 | 23 February 1785 † | Clement XIV |
| 20 | File:Ignazio Boncompagni Ludovisi.jpg | Ignazio Gaetano Boncompagni Ludovisi (1743–1790)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
29 June 1785 | 30 September 1789 | Pius VI |
| 21 | File:Anton Raphael Mengs - Bildnis des Kardinals Zelada (Art Institute of Chicago).jpg | Francesco Saverio de Zelada (1717–1801)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
14 October 1789 | 10 February 1796 | |
| 22 | File:Ignazio Busca.jpg | Ignazio Busca (1731–1803)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
9 August 1796 | 18 March 1797 | |
| 23 | File:Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphilj.jpg | Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphilj (1751–1816)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
18 March 1797 | 29 August 1799 | |
| 24 | File:Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi (1757-1824) - RCIN 404940 - Royal Collection.jpg | Ercole Consalvi (1757–1824)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
11 August 1800 | 17 June 1806 | Pius VII |
| 25 | File:Kardinal Filippo Casoni.jpg | Filippo Casoni (1733–1811)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
17 June 1806 | 2 February 1808 | |
| 26 | File:Giulio Gabrielli.jpg | Giulio Gabrielli the Younger (1748–1822)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
26 March 1808 | 26 July 1814 | |
| 27 (24) |
File:Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi (1757-1824) - RCIN 404940 - Royal Collection.jpg | Ercole Consalvi (1757–1824)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
26 July 1814 | 20 August 1823 | |
| 28 | File:Giulio Maria della Somaglia.JPG | Giulio Maria della Somaglia (1744–1830)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
28 September 1823 | 17 January 1828 | Leo XII |
| 29 | File:Cardinale Bernetti.jpg | Tommaso Bernetti (1779–1852)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
17 January 1828 | 10 February 1829 | |
| 30 | File:Cardinale Giuseppe Albani.jpg | Giuseppe Albani (1750–1834)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
31 March 1829 | 30 November 1830 | Pius VIII |
| 31 (29) |
File:Cardinale Bernetti.jpg | Tommaso Bernetti (1779–1852)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
21 February 1831 | 12 January 1836 | Gregory XVI |
| 32 | File:Luigi Cradinal Lambruschini.jpg | Luigi Lambruschini (1776–1854)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
12 January 1836 | 1 June 1846 | |
| 33 | File:Pasquale Gizzi.jpg | Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi (1787–1849)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
8 August 1846 | 5 July 1847 | Pius IX |
| 34 | File:Podesti Ritratto del cardinal Ferretti.JPG | Gabriele Ferretti (1795–1860)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
17 July 1847 | 1 February 1848 | |
| 35 | File:Cardinale Giuseppe Bofondi.jpg | Giuseppe Bofondi (1795–1867)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1 February 1848 | 10 March 1848 | |
| 36 | File:Italy in the nineteenth century and the making of Austria-Hungary and Germany (1898) (14782675065).jpg | Giacomo Antonelli (1806–1876)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
10 March 1848 | 4 May 1848 | |
| 37 | File:Antonio Francesco Orioli.jpg | Antonio Francesco Orioli (1778–1852)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
4 May 1848 | 2 June 1848 | |
| 38 | File:Giovanni Soglia Ceroni.jpg | Giovanni Soglia Ceroni (1779–1856)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
4 June 1848 | 29 November 1848 | |
| 39 (36) |
File:Italy in the nineteenth century and the making of Austria-Hungary and Germany (1898) (14782675065).jpg | Giacomo Antonelli (1806–1876)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
29 November 1848 | 6 November 1876 † | |
| 40 | File:Kardinal Giovanni Simeoni, 1878.jpg | Giovanni Simeoni (1816–1892)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
18 December 1876 | 5 March 1878 | |
| 41 | File:Alessandro Franchi (cropped).jpg | Alessandro Franchi (1819–1878)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
5 March 1878 | 31 July 1878 † | Leo XIII |
| 42 | File:Lorenzo Nina.jpg | Lorenzo Nina (1812–1885)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
9 August 1878 | 16 December 1880 | |
| 43 | File:Lodovico Jacobini.jpg | Luigi Jacobini (1832–1887)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
16 December 1880 | 28 February 1887 † | |
| 44 | File:Laszlo - Cardinal Mariano Rampolla.jpg | Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (1843–1913)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2 July 1887 | 20 July 1903 | |
| 45 | File:Rafael Merry del Val3.jpg | Rafael Merry del Val (1865–1930)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
12 November 1903 | 20 August 1914 | Pius X |
| 46 | File:Domenico Ferrata2.jpg | Domenico Ferrata (1847–1914)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
4 September 1914 | 10 October 1914 † | Benedict XV |
| 47 | File:Pietro Gasparri.jpg | Pietro Gasparri (1852–1934)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
13 October 1914 | 7 February 1930 | |
| 48 | File:Mgr. Pacelli, Papal Nuncio LCCN2014716384.jpg | Eugenio Pacelli (1876–1958)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
9 February 1930 | 10 February 1939 | Pius XI |
| 49 | File:Cardinal Maglione.JPG | Luigi Maglione (1877–1944)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
10 March 1939 | 22 August 1944 † | Pius XII |
| Office vacant[7] | |||||
| 50 | File:Monsignor Domenico Tardini.jpg | Domenico Tardini (1888–1961)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
15 December 1958 | 30 July 1961 † | John XXIII |
| 51 | File:CICOGNANI AMLETO GIOVANNI (+1973).jpg | Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (1883–1973)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
12 August 1961 | 30 April 1969 | |
| 52 | File:Jean-Marie Villot 1978.jpg | Jean-Marie Villot (1905–1979)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2 May 1969 | 9 March 1979 † | Paul VI |
| 53 | File:Agostino Casaroli - S M de Medellin (cropped).jpg | Agostino Casaroli (1914–1998)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1 July 1979 | 1 December 1990 | John Paul II |
| 54 | File:Angelo Cardinal Sodano.jpg | Angelo Sodano (1927–2022)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
29 June 1991 | 15 September 2006 | |
| 55 | File:Tarcisio Bertone.jpg | Tarcisio Bertone (b. 1934)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
15 September 2006 | 15 October 2013 | Benedict XVI |
| 56 | File:Ināra Mūrniece tiekas ar Svētā Krēsla Valsts sekretāru (26363562894)-1(cropped).jpg | Pietro Parolin (b. 1955)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
15 October 2013 | Incumbent | Francis |
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In popular culture
- Silvio Orlando portrayed fictional Cardinal Secretary of State Voiello in the 2016 Sky Italia Sky Atlantic HBO Canal+ co-produced television series The Young Pope and the 2019 follow-up series The New Pope.[8]
- Robert Harris' novel Conclave features fictional Cardinal Secretary of State Aldo Bellini. The character is played by Stanley Tucci in the film adaptation.
See also
References
External links
Template:Roman Curia footer Script error: No such module "navbox". Template:Vatican City topics Template:Foreign relations of the Holy See Template:Holy See
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Pope Gregory XVI, Chirografo Avendoci Ella, in Italian, issued on 20 February 1833, accessed on 2 November 2024
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy
- ↑ Pope Pius XII, having been the Secretary of State under Pope Pius XI, did not name a Secretary after the death of Cardinal Maglione in 1944. Beneath his direct supervision, the duties were divided between two protonotaries apostolic, Domenico Tardini and Giovanni Battista Montini, who in 1952 were both named Pro-Secretary of State, for Extraordinary and Ordinary affairs respectively. In 1954 Montini (the future Pope Paul VI) was appointed Archbishop of Milan, thus leaving the Roman Curia.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".