Cardinal Parolin spoke about the work of the State Secretariat
Cardinal Parolin in the Hall of Tractates
Olga Sakun – Vatican City
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told the Vatican media about the work of the Secretariat of State, the body that most closely cooperates with the Pope in carrying out his supreme mission, namely “to be a permanent and visible beginning and foundation of the unity of faith and communion in the Church,” Cardinal Parolin explained. This cooperation covers the correspondence of the Holy Father with the bishops of the whole world in different languages, his communication with representatives of other Churches, Christian communities and other religions, with the political authorities of different countries, as well as with all the faithful scattered around the world. In addition, the activities of the State Secretariat include the preparation of Papal documents – apostolic constitutions, encyclicals, speeches, etc., their official translation into different languages and publication. The State Secretariat is also involved in organizing the apostolic trips of the Holy Father. The State Secretariat also oversees the relationship between the Pope and the various departments of the Roman Curia, the coordination of their work in areas involving various departments.
In total, the Vatican State Secretariat consists of three departments, or sections: this is the Department for General Affairs, the Department for Relations with States and added in 2017 the so-called. The third section is the Department for the Affairs of the Diplomatic Personnel of the Holy See. This new department deals with the living conditions and professional development of diplomatic personnel and works with the Pontifical Church Academy, where future diplomats receive basic training.
In addition to the clergy, the State Secretariat employs 103 lay people, of whom 55 are women: 25 nuns and 30 lay women. One of them is the deputy. Secretary of the Division for Relations with States, leading the work of the Multilateral Relations Sector.
The Vatican Secretary of State announced the figures regarding the costs of maintaining the Vatican’s diplomatic missions: in 2020, 128 nunciatures in 174 countries, 12 apostolic delegations and 17 missions to international organizations cost the Vatican about 23.8 million euros.
