The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State ( la, Pontificia Commissio pro Civitate Vaticana, it, Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Città del Vaticano;) is the

legislative body A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. It consists of a president, who also holds the title of President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and six other

cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

appointed by the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

for five-year terms. The Pontifical Commission was created in 1939 by

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius B ...

. Laws and regulations proposed by the Commission must be submitted to the pope through the Secretariat of State prior to being made public and taking effect. Laws, regulations, and instructions enacted by the Commission are published in the ''

Acta Apostolicae Sedis ''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' (Latin for "Acts of the Apostolic See"), often cited as ''AAS'', is the official gazette of the Holy See, appearing about twelve times a year.Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ), ...

''.

Current members

Current

As of 2022, the president and the members are:

President

In addition to his legislative role, the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, who since 1 October 2021 has been Archbishop

Fernando Vérgez Alzaga Fernando Vérgez Alzaga L.C. (born 1 March 1945) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who has been President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State since 1 October 2021 ...

, has been delegated executive authority by the pope for Vatican City, as the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. As a senior member of the Roman Curia, the president is usually a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. During a

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

, the term of the president ends, as do most other offices in the Curia. However, the holder of the office prior to the death or resignation of the pope becomes a member of the Commission that handles some of the functions of the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

until a new pope can be chosen, along with the former

Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae, it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...

and the

Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. Formerly, his responsibilities included the fiscal administration of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. As regul ...

Former Governor

* Marquis

Camillo Serafini Camillo Serafini (April 21, 1864 – March 21, 1952) was an Italian Marquis and the only Governor of Vatican City from 11 February 1929 – 21 March 1952.He was a noted numismatist. The Marquis and Cardinal Domenico Serafini, Prefect of Propa ...

Governor of Vatican City The post of Governor of the Vatican City State ( it, Governatore dello Stato della Città del Vaticano) was held by Marchese Camillo Serafini from the foundation of the state in 1929 until his death in 1952. No successor was appointed, and the pos ...

(1929–1952)

Former Presidents

Nicola Canali Nicola Canali (6 June 1874 – 3 August 1961) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State from 1939 and as Major Penitentiary from 1941 until his death, and wa ...

, 20 March 1939 – 3 August 1961 *

Amleto Giovanni Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. C ...

, 12 August 1961 – 30 April 1969 *

Jean-Marie Villot Jean-Marie Villot (11 October 1905 – 9 March 1979) was a French prelate and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Lyon from 1965 to 1967, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1967 to 1969, Vatican Secret ...

, 2 May 1969 – 9 March 1979 *

Agostino Casaroli Agostino Casaroli (24 November 1914 – 9 June 1998) was an Italian Catholic priest and diplomat for the Holy See, who became Cardinal Secretary of State. He was the most important figure behind the Vatican's efforts to deal with the persecuti ...

, 28 April 1979 – 8 April 1984 *

Sebastiano Baggio Sebastiano Baggio (16 May 1913 – 21 March 1993) was an Italian cardinal, often thought to be a likely candidate for election to the papacy. He served as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State from 1984 to 1990 and was P ...

, 8 April 1984 – 31 October 1990 * Rosalio Lara, 31 October 1990 – 15 October 1997 *

Edmund Szoka Edmund Casimir Szoka (September 14, 1927 – August 20, 2014) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Until 2006, he was President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City ...

, 15 October 1997 – 15 September 2006 *

Giovanni Lajolo Giovanni Lajolo (born 3 January 1935 in Novara, Italy) is a cardinal and former president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governatorate of Vatican City State. Early life and ordination He studied at the ...

, 15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011 *

Giuseppe Bertello Giuseppe Bertello (born 1 October 1942) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a cardinal since 2012, who was President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State from Octo ...

, 1 October 2011 – 1 October 2021

Governorate of Vatican City State

The President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also serves as the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

of Vatican City, the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, an office that is distinct from the former title of

. In addition to his legislative role, the President is delegated

executive authority The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems b ...

for Vatican City by the Pope. Administrations and departments of Vatican City's government, including the Corpo della Gendarmeria, the

Vatican Observatory The Vatican Observatory () is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope a ...

, the

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

, and the Department of Pontifical Villas, which administers

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel Ga ...

, report to the Governorate. The functions of the Governorate include: * Legal office * Office for Personnel * Office for Civil Records * Archives * Accounting Office * Numismatic and Philatelic office * Post and Telegraph office * Shipping office * Police Department (

Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City The Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City State ( la, Corps Gendarmerie Civitatis Vaticanae, it, Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano) is the gendarmerie, or police and security force, of Vatican City and the extraterritoria ...

) * Tourist Information Office * Department of Museums and Galleries (

) * Department of Economic Services * Department of Technical Services *

* Office for Archeological Research

References

External links

Vatican City State
{{Heads of state and government of Europe

Religion and politics