{{Politics of Vatican City}}
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]], [[as of 2006|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.<ref>[[Pope John Paul II]] (1998), Apostolic Constitution ''[[Pastor Bonus]]'', [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-roman-curia_en.html Article 40]</ref>

==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 [[Roman Curia|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 [[nuncio]]s around the world in their activities concerning the local church.<ref>''Ibid'', [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-roman-curia_en.html Articles 41-44]</ref>

The first section is headed by an [[archbishop]] known as the Substitute for General Affairs.  The current Substitute is [[Leonardo Sandri]].

==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 [[concordat]]s and [[treaty|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 church]]es in communion with [[Rome]] in conjunction with the [[Congregation for the Oriental Churches]], and the appointment of [[bishop]]s to local [[diocese]]s in conjunction with the [[Congregation for Bishops]].<ref>''Ibid'', [http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-roman-curia_en.html Articles 45-47]</ref>

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 is [[Dominique Mamberti]].

==External links==
*[http://www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/romancuria/d01.htm Secretariat of State] by Giga-Catholic Information
*[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/documents/rc_seg-st_12101998_profile_en.html Profile of the Secretariat from vatican.va]
*[http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=110 The Pope's Team: the Vatican's Secretariat of State] from ''Catholic Culture''

==References==
<references />

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[[Category:Roman Curia]]
[[Category:Vatican City]]

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