Cardinal Secretary of State

Secretary of State of His Holiness
Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità
Incumbent Pietro Parolin since 15 October 2013
Secretariat of State
Style	His Eminence
Member of	Roman Curia Council of Cardinals
Reports to	the Pope
Appointer	the Pope
Term length	No term length
Formation	20 November 1551
First holder	Girolamo Dandini
Unofficial names	Cardinal Secretary of State

Vatican City

This article is part of a series on
History Duchy of Rome (554–751) Donation of Pepin (750s) Papal States (754–1870) Annates Congregation for Borders Fundamental Statute for the Secular Government of the States of the Church Capture of Rome (1870) "Prisoner in the Vatican" (1870–1929) Roman Question Law of Guarantees Lateran Treaty (1929) Vatican City (1929–present) Governorate of Vatican City State 2010 Vatican employee sex scandal History of the Catholic Church since 1962 History of the Papacy Roman Historical Institutes Savoyard Era Vatileaks scandal Vatican Historical Museum Vatican City during World War II
Law Acta Apostolicae Sedis Fundamental Law of Vatican City State Capital punishment in Vatican City Crime in Vatican City Lateran Treaty Legal status of the Holy See Alperin v. Vatican Bank Doe v. Holy See Temporal power of the Holy See Tribunal of Vatican City State Canon law 1983 Code of Canon Law Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches Pastor bonus LGBTQ rights in Vatican City
Politics and government Apostolic Archive Association of Vatican Lay Workers Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State Pontifical commission Secretariat for Communications Holy See Press Office L'Osservatore Romano (newspaper) L'Osservatore della Domenica List of newspapers in Vatican City Vatican Radio lawsuit Vatican Information Service .va (internet sites) Vatican Publishing House Vatican Radio Vatican Television Center Secretariat of State Secretary: Pietro Parolin Fabric of Saint Peter Foreign relations of the Holy See Papal apocrisiarius Governorate of Vatican City State President: Raffaella Petrini College of Cardinals Camerlengo (chamberlain) Dean Vical General Court of Cassation President: Dominique Mamberti Court of Appeals President: Pio Vito Pinto Tribunale President: Giuseppe di Sanguinetto Military in Vatican City Swiss Guard Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State
Papacy Pope Popemobile Catholic Church Latin Church Holy See Diocese of Rome Roman Curia Papal conclave (papal elections) Universi Dominici gregis Recent conclaves 2005 2013 2025 Papal household Papal gentleman Prefecture of the Pontifical Household
Foreign relations Section for Relations with States Concordats Multilateral foreign policy Status in international law Lateran Treaty Section for Relations with States (Roman Curia) Secretary for Relations with States: Paul Gallagher Undersecretaries for Relations with States: Antoine Camilleri List of diplomatic missions of the Holy See Apostolic nuncios Vatican City and Holy See passports Visa requirements Visa policy Holy See and the United Nations Holy See–Italy relations Holy See–United States relations Holy See–Israel relations Holy See–Palestine relations
Economy Institute for the Works of Religion Telephone numbers in Vatican City Tourism in Vatican City Transport in Vatican City Rail transport in Vatican City Secretariat for the Economy Financial Information Authority Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See Vatican euro coins Vatican lira Properties of the Holy See
Symbols Flag List of papal flags Anthem Coat of arms of Vatican City 00120 (postal code) Papal tiara Papal coronation
Culture Vatican Museums Vatican Library Music of Vatican City Sistine Chapel Choir Languages of Vatican City Women in Vatican City Vatican Christmas Tree Sport in Vatican City Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah Postage stamps and postal history of Vatican City Public holidays in Vatican City Pontifical Academy of Sciences Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences The Story of the Vatican (1941 documentary)
Buildings/geography Apostolic nunciature Apostolic Palace Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Borgia Apartments Bramante Staircase Domus Sanctae Marthae Fountains of St. Peter's Square Gardens of Vatican City Geography of Vatican City Gregorian Tower Mater Ecclesiae Monastery Monument to the Royal Stuarts Palace of the Holy Office Palazzi Pontifici Papal Apartments St. Peter's Basilica St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's tomb Lateran Basilica Lateran Palace Leonine City Niccoline Chapel Old St. Peter's Basilica Papal tombs Paul VI Audience Hall Tomb of the Julii Torre San Giovanni Scala Regia Via della Conciliazione Vatican Climate Forest Vatican Grottoes Vatican Heliport Vatican Hill Vatican Necropolis Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah Postage stamps and postal history of Vatican City Public holidays in Vatican City Vatican Secret Archives St. Peter's Baldachin Sala Regia San Pellegrino in Vaticano Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope Vatican Observatory Vatican Pharmacy Bibliotheca Palatina Cappella Giulia Cappella Paolina Cardinal Secretary of State Casina Pio IV Circus of Nero Redemptoris Mater Chapel Saints Martin and Sebastian of the Swiss Santo Stefano degli Abissini Santo Stefano degli Ungheresi Teutonic Cemetery Cortile del Belvedere Passetto di Borgo Porta San Pellegrino
Vatican Museums Vatican Museums Vatican Gallery of Maps Gallery of Sistine Chapel ceiling Collection of Modern Religious Art Raphael Rooms Redemptoris Mater Chapel Restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes Sistine Chapel Sistine Chapel ceiling The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)
Outline Index Vatican City portal Catholicism portal

The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae; Italian: Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. The Secretariat of State performs all the political and diplomatic functions of the Holy See and Vatican City. The secretary of state is sometimes described as the prime minister of the Holy See, but the head of government of Vatican City is the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin has served as secretary of state since 2013, nominated by Francis and temporarily confirmed also by Leo XIV in May 2025.