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Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
President	Fernando Vérgez Alzaga ; since 1 October 2021
Structure
Seats	8
Political groups	Nonpartisan
Elections
Voting system	Appointment by the Pope
Meeting place
	Palace of the Governorate
Website
	Official website

The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (Latin: Pontificia Commissio pro Civitate Vaticana, Italian: Pontificia Commissione per lo Stato della Città del Vaticano) is the legislative body of Vatican City.^[1] It consists of a president, who also holds the title of President of the Governorate of Vatican City State and serves as the head of government of Vatican City, as well as seven other cardinals appointed by the pope for five-year terms.^[1]

The Pontifical Commission was created in 1939 by Pius XII. Laws and regulations proposed by the Commission must be submitted to the Pope through the Secretariat of State prior to being made public and taking effect.^[1] Laws, regulations, and instructions enacted by the Commission are published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.^[2]

Current members

As of May 2023, the president and the members are:


Position	Name^[3]	Country	Other positions
President	Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, L.C.	Spain	President of the Governorate of Vatican City State
Members	Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell	United States	Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
	Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi	Italy	Archbishop of L'Aquila
	Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko	Poland	Archpriest of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
	Cardinal Leonardo Sandri	Argentina	Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches
	Cardinal Arthur Roche	United Kingdom	Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
	Cardinal Mauro Gambetti	Italy	Vicar General for Vatican City President of the Fabric of Saint Peter
	Sister Raffaella Petrini	Italy	Secretary-General of the Governorate of Vatican City State

Governorate of Vatican City State

The President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also serves as the head of government of Vatican City, the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, an office that is distinct from the former title of Governor of Vatican City.^[4] In addition to his legislative role, the President is delegated executive authority for Vatican City by the Pope.^[5]^[6] Administrations and departments of Vatican City's government, including the Corpo della Gendarmeria, the Vatican Observatory, the Vatican Museums, and the Department of Pontifical Villas, which administers Castel Gandolfo, report to the Governorate.^[7]

The functions of the Governorate include:

Legal office
Office for Personnel
Office for Civil Records
Archives
Accounting Office
Numismatic and Philatelic office
Post and Telegraph office
Shipping office
Police Department (Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City)
Tourist Information Office
Department of Museums and Galleries (Vatican Museums)
Department of Economic Services
Department of Technical Services
Vatican Observatory
Castel Gandolfo
Office for Archeological Research

President

In addition to his legislative role, the President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, who since 1 October 2021 has been Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, has been delegated executive authority by the Pope for Vatican City, as the president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. As a senior member of the Roman Curia, the president is usually a cardinal of the Catholic Church.^[8]

During a sede vacante, the term of the president ends, as do most other offices in the Curia. However, the holder of the office prior to the death or resignation of the Pope becomes a member of the Commission that handles some of the functions of the head of state until a new pope can be chosen, along with the former Cardinal Secretary of State and the Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church.^[9]

Governor of the Vatican City State

No.	Image	Name (Birth–Death)	Term	Length of term
1		Marquis Camillo Serafini (1864–1952)	11 February 1929 – 21 March 1952	23 years, 39 days

Presidents of the Governorate of Vatican City State

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term	Length of term
1	Nicola Canali (1874–1961)	20 March 1939 – 3 August 1961	22 years, 136 days
2	Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (1883–1973)	12 August 1961 – 30 April 1969	7 years, 261 days
3	Jean-Marie Villot (1905–1979)	2 May 1969 – 9 March 1979	9 years, 311 days
4	Agostino Casaroli (1914–1998)	28 April 1979 – 8 April 1984	4 years, 346 days
5	Sebastiano Baggio (1913–1993)	8 April 1984 – 31 October 1990	6 years, 206 days
6	Rosalio Lara (1922–2007)	31 October 1990 – 15 October 1997	6 years, 349 days
7	Edmund Szoka (1927–2014)	15 October 1997 – 15 September 2006	8 years, 335 days
8	Giovanni Lajolo (born 1935)	15 September 2006 – 1 October 2011	5 years, 16 days
9	Giuseppe Bertello (born 1942)	1 October 2011 – 1 October 2021	10 years, 0 days
10	Fernando Vérgez Alzaga (born 1945)	1 October 2021 – present	3 years, 85 days