Politics of the Vatican City

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Holy See

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Vatican City

Pope Benedict XVI Roman Curia Secretariat of State Roman Congregations Vicariate General of Rome Vatican City Pontifical Commission Conclave Lateran treaty

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Politics of the Vatican City (Holy See) takes place in a framework of an absolute theocratic monarchy, in which the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, exercises ex officio supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City, a rare case of non-hereditary monarchy.

The Roman Curia de facto constitutes the government of the State and the administrative complex of organs and charges of the Church.

The pope is elected in the Conclave, composed of all the cardinal electors (now limited to all the cardinals below the age of 80), after the death of the previous Pope. The Conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel, where all the electors are locked in (Latin cum clave) until the election for which a two-thirds majority is required. The faithful can follow the results of the polls (usually two in the morning and two in the evening, until election) by a chimney-top, visible from St. Peter's square: in the chimney are burnt the voting papers, and additives make the resulting smoke black (fumata nera) in case of no election, white (fumata bianca) when the new pope is finally elected. If after thirty elections there is no positive result, the voting requirement drops to an absolute majority of the number of electors. The Dean of the Sacred College (Cardinale Decano) will then ask the freshly elected pope to choose his pastoral name, and as soon as the pope is dressed with the white habit, the Senior Cardinal-Deacon (Cardinale Protodiacono) appears on the major balcony of St. Peter's façade to introduce the new pope with the famous Latin sentence Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam.(I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope).

Pope John Paul II, born in Poland, was the first non-Italian Pope in nearly five centuries. Elected on October 16, 1978, he succeeded Pope John Paul I, whose reign was limited by his untimely death to only 34 days. Pope John Paul II died after 26 years in the pontificate on April 2, 2005. The next papal election began on April 18, 2005, and concluded on April 19, 2005, with the election of Pope Benedict XVI, formerly known as Joseph Alois Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany.

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 166 nations.

As formally re-defined in 1929, after the Lateran treaties between the Holy See and Italy, to administer properties belonging to the Holy See in Rome, the State of the Vatican City is recognized under international law as a sovereign territory. Unlike the Holy See, it does not receive or send diplomatic representatives or enter into treaties.

Contents 1 Administration of the Vatican City 2 Papal audiences 3 Governmental power 4 Executive 5 Legislative branch 6 Judicial branch 7 International organization participation 8 See also

[edit] Administration of the Vatican City

The Pope delegates the internal administration of the Vatican City to the Pontifical Commission for the State of the Vatican City. The legal system is based on canon, or ecclesiastical, law; if Canon Law is not applicable, the laws of the city of Rome apply. The Vatican City maintains the Swiss Guard, which is a voluntary military force as well as a modern security corps. It has its own post office, commissary, bank, railway station, electrical generating plant, and publishing house. The Vatican also issues its own coins, stamps, and Soccer passports. Radio Vatican, the official radio station, is one of the most influential in Europe and has a worldwide coverage. L'Osservatore Romano is the official newspaper, published daily in Italian, and weekly in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French (plus a monthly edition in Polish). It is published by Catholic laymen but carries official information.

[edit] Papal audiences

The North American College in Rome, owned by the Holy See and operated by the hierarchy representing Canada, United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico for training North American priests, handles requests for papal audiences.

Admittance to audiences is completely free of charge and only depends on the number of requests. Reservations can also be personally booked and obtained directly in St. Peter's Square (Prefettura pontificia - Porta Sant'Anna, bronze portal, right columns).

Invitations can also be reserved for free from Prefettura Pontificia. Invitation "tickets" can be then obtained the day before the audience or in the early morning of the same day of the audience, at Prefettura (no queues; most principal languages are spoken).

Although there has been some commerce in the sale of these "tickets", the Vatican has never given third parties the authority to sell tickets.

[edit] Governmental power

As with almost all monarchies, the executive, legislative and judicial power of government reside in the crown, in this case in the office of pope. However, as with many monarchies, the pope exercises this power through other organs which act on his behalf and in his name.

[edit] Executive

Main office holders

Office	Name	Party	Since
Pope	Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger)		19 April 2005
Cardinal Secretary of State	Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone		15 September 2005

The secretary of state is appointed by and is answerable to the the pope and oversees many of the day-to-day concerns of the pope as a head of state. A committee of cardinals who serve on the Secretariat of State advises the pope on such matters.

The pope's relations with other states are handled through the secretary of state and the pope's diplomatic corps: nuncios and pro-nuncios (the equivalent of ambassadors) accredited to other heads of state around the world.

[edit] Legislative branch

A unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, appointed by the pope, operates as legislative branch, proposing law and policy to the pope.

[edit] Judicial branch

The pope's judicial authority is exercised through the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, as he customarily serves as President of the Cassation Court of Vatican City, and the Dean of the Sacra Rota as President of the Appellate Court of Vatican City. In fact, most crimes are prosecuted by and handled in the courts of by the Republic of Italy, by agreement between the Vatican and the Italian government.

[edit] International organization participation

IAEA, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)

[edit] See also

• Governor of Vatican City