cardinal, in the Roman Catholic Church: The Secretariat of State

The secretariat of state, headed by the cardinal secretary of state, works most closely with the pope and is the most important body of the Curia; it is divided into two sections. The section for general affairs handles affairs relating to the papal office, distributes encyclicals and other official papal documents, oversees the official media and the press office of the Vatican, and maintains the church's statistical bureau. The section for relations with states is responsible for the Vatican's diplomatic relation with foreign governments and international organizations.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Roman Tribunals
• Roman Congregations
• The Secretariat of State
• The Cabinet of the Pope
• Classes of Cardinals
• Bibliography

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