Main article: Vatican City

The pope exercises supreme legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Holy See and the State of the Vatican City, a rare case of elective 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 2/3 majority is required (in 2000 this was changed to allow only a simple majority if no Pope was elected after five days). The faithful can follow the results of the polls (usually one in the morning and one 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

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 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.

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 Guards, a voluntary military force, as well as a modern security corps (famous for its uniforms, traditionally said to have been designed by Michelangelo). 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 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.

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. The address is Casa Santa Maria dell'Umiltà, Via dell'Umiltà 30, 00187, Rome, Italy (tel. 690-0189).

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 via fax at (0039) 06-6988.5863 (address to "Prefettura della Casa Pontificia - Città del Vaticano" and ask for confirmation at (0039) 06-6988.3017); additionlly, you can try to directly phone at same number. Prefettura's offices are open on every working day (Monday to Friday) 09:00 to 13:00 local time (UTC+1). 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; obviously most principal languages are spoken).

Although it is known that there has been some commerce in the sale of these "tickets", it should be remembered that no one has ever had any special authorisation or contract with the Vatican to "sell" tickets or otherwise gain any other advantage save a grateful smile for helping with delivery. What here above refers to "public audiences", held on every Wednesday at Sala Nervi (Aula Paolo VI); for private audiences, which would need to be justified by exceptional circumstance, contact local embassy (Nunziatura apostolica).

Executive branch

The pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals, limited to cardinals less than 80 years old. Election last held 18 April 2005. The secretary of state is appointed by the pope.

Legislative branch

A unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, appointed by the pope, operates as legislative branch.

Judicial branch

The Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura 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; many judicial functions are normally handled by Italy.

International organization participation

IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer) Política do Vaticano