TheSection for Relations with States orSecond Section of the Secretariat of State is the body within theRoman Curia charged with dealing with matters that involve relations with civil governments. It has been part of the VaticanSecretariat of State since 1909.
It is analogous to theforeign ministry of a state.
The origin of this body is found in theCongregatio super negotiis ecclesiasticis extraordinariis Regni Galliarum (Congregation on the Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Kingdom of France) thatPope Pius VI set up on 28 May 1793 to deal with problems arising for the Church as a result of theFrench Revolution. After the fall ofNapoleon,Pope Pius VII gave it competence for negotiations with all governments about ecclesiastical matters and renamed it theCongregatio extraordinaria praeposita negotiis ecclesiasticis orbis catholici (Extraordinary Congregation in Charge of Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Catholic World). UnderPope Leo XIII, its name was shortened toCongregatio pro negotiis ecclesiasticis extraordinariis (the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs), which remained its title even afterPope Pius X in 1909 made it part of theSecretariat of State.[1]
This arrangement was incorporated into the1917 Code of Canon Law, which described the Secretariat of State as composed of three sections, of which this congregation was the first:
In its canon 255, that Code defined the congregation's field of competence as erecting or dividing dioceses and appointing bishops where negotiations with civil governments were involved, and other matters that the Pope might choose to entrust to it, especially those in some linked to civil law and theHoly See's agreements andconcordats with states.[3] The Cardinal Secretary of State was concurrently prefect of the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs with the secretary equalivant to the current secretary for Relations with States.
With the apostolic constitutionRegimini Ecclesiae Universae of 15 August 1967,Pope Paul VI, following the recommendations of theSecond Vatican Council, reorganized the Secretariat of State, suppressing the Chancery of Apostolic Briefs. He established what had been the First Section as a body distinct from the Secretariat of State, though closely related, and called it the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church. On 28 June 1988,Pope John Paul II issued theApostolic ConstitutionPastor Bonus, making that same body, under the name "Section for Relations with States", the second of two sections of the Secretariat of State, the first being the Section for General Affairs.[1]
Articles 45–47 ofPastor Bonus indicate dealing with heads of government as the special task of the Section for Relations with States. Its field of competence includes fostering diplomatic and other relations with states and other subjects of public international law such as theUnited Nations and theEuropean Union, dealing with matters of common interest to them and to the Holy See by means such asconcordats and similar agreements, while respecting the views of interestedepiscopal conferences. It represents the Holy See at international organizations and conferences. Where agreements have been made with governments about appointments of bishops and the definition of dioceses, it makes the necessary arrangements in consultation with the congregation that has general competence for such matters in the country in question (generally theCongregation for Bishops).[4]
From the start, this body has been placed under the presidency of theCardinal Secretary of State. Under him, it is headed by the Secretary for Relations with States, who is aided by a staff that includes the Undersecretary for Relations with States.
The current Secretary for Relations with States is ArchbishopPaul Richard Gallagher, and the most recent Undersecretary is Monsignor Miroslav Wachowski.
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 February 1953 – 26 June 1967 | Antonio Samorè | appointedprefect of Sacred Congregation for Sacramental Discipline |
| 15 August 1967 – 28 April 1979 | Agostino Casaroli | appointedPro-Secretary of State |
| 4 May 1979 – 1 March 1988 | Achille Silvestrini | appointedPrefect of the Apostolic Signatura |
| 1 March 1986 – 1 December 1990 | Angelo Sodano | appointedPro-Secretary of State to His Holiness, later becameDean of the College of Cardinals |
| 1 December 1990 – 6 October 2003 | Jean-Louis Tauran | appointedArchivist of the Holy Roman Church, later became President of thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, andChamberlain of the Holy Roman Church |
| 7 October 2003 – 15 September 2006 | Giovanni Lajolo | appointedPresident of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State |
| 15 September 2006 – 8 November 2014 | Dominique Mamberti | appointedPrefect of the Apostolic Signatura |
| 8 November 2014 – present | Paul Richard Gallagher |
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 – 1 December 1990 | Jean-Louis Tauran | appointed Secretary of Relations with States |
| 1992 – 16 December 1995 | Claudio Maria Celli | appointed Secretary theAdministration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See |
| 16 December 1995 – 30 October 2002 | Celestino Migliore | appointedPermanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations |
| 30 October 2002 – 17 August 2009 | Pietro Parolin | appointednuncio to Venezuela, later becameCardinal Secretary of State |
| 17 August 2009 – 22 February 2013 | Ettore Balestrero | appointednuncio to Colombia |
| 22 February 2013 – 3 September 2019 | Antoine Camilleri | appointednuncio to Ethiopia |
| 24 October 2019 - 18 September 2025 | Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski | appointednuncio to Iraq |
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