Political Leaders: Holy See

Leaders of the Vatican City
(State of the Vatican City)

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Sovereigns (Popes)

Pius XII (Eugenio Maria Pacelli)          2 Mar 1939 -  9 Oct 1958 (†1958) Italian
Ioannes XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) 28 Oct 1958 -  3 Jun 1963 (†1963) Italian
Paulus VI (Giovanni Battista Montini)    21 Jun 1963 -  6 Aug 1978 (†1978) Italian
Ioannes Paulus I (Albino Luciani)        26 Aug 1978 - 28 Sep 1978 (†1978) Italian
Ioannes Paulus II (Karol Józef Wojtyla)  16 Oct 1978 -  2 Apr 2005 (†2005) Polish
Benedictus XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger)  19 Apr 2005 - 28 Feb 2013         German (*)
Franciscus (Jorge Mario Bergoglio)       13 Mar 2013 -                     Argentinian

(*) On 28 Feb 2013, following the announcement of resignation made by Pope Benedictus XVI on 11 Feb 2013, the Sede Vacante was declared. During the vacancy, interim roles were taken by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Cardinal Sodano, and the Chamberlain, or Cardinal-Camerlengo, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone.

Secretaries of State

Domenico Cardinal Tardini                29 Nov 1952 - 30 Jul 1961 (†1961) Italian (acting to 14 Dec 1958) 
Amleto Giovanni Cardinal Cicognani       14 Aug 1961 -  2 May 1969 (†1973) Italian
Jean-Marie Cardinal Villot                2 May 1969 -  9 Mar 1979 (†1979) French   
Agostino Cardinal Casaroli               30 Apr 1979 -  1 Dec 1990 (†1998) Italian (acting to 1 Jul 1979)
Angelo Cardinal Sodano                    1 Dec 1990 - 15 Sep 2006 (†2022) Italian (acting to 29 Jun 1991)
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone                15 Sep 2006 - 15 Oct 2013         Italian
Pietro Cardinal Parolin                  15 Oct 2013 -                     Italian

Heads of the Apostolic Camera (Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church)

Benedetto Cardinal Aloisi Masella        10 Oct 1958 - 30 Sep 1970 (†1970) Italian
Jean-Marie Cardinal Villot               16 Oct 1970 -  9 Mar 1979 (†1979) French
Paolo Cardinal Bertoli                    5 May 1979 - 25 Mar 1985 (†2001) Italian
Sebastino Cardinal Baggio                25 Mar 1985 - 21 Mar 1993 (†1993) Italian
Eduardo Cardinal Martínez Somalo          5 Apr 1993 -  4 Apr 2007 (†2021) Spanish
Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone                 4 Apr 2007 - 20 Dec 2014         Italian
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran               20 Dec 2014 -  5 Jul 2018 (†2018) French
Kevin Cardinal Farrell                   14 Feb 2019 -                     United States

During a vacancy of the Papacy, the Roman Curia, and with it the Vatican City State, is governed nominally by the College of Cardinals, with the Chamberlain, or Cardinal-Camerlengo, of the Holy Roman Church serving as "managing director".

Prefects of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Franjo Cardinal Seper                     8 Jan 1968 - 25 Nov 1981 (†1981) Croatian
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger                25 Nov 1981 - 19 Apr 2005         German  
William Joseph Cardinal Levada           13 May 2005 -  2 Jul 2012         United States  
Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller            2 Jul 2012 -  1 Jul 2017         German
Luis Francisco Cardinal Ladaria Ferrer    1 Jul 2017 -                     Spanish

Secretaries of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church and Secretaries for Relations with States

Antonio Cardinal Samorè                   7 Feb 1953 – 26 Jun 1967 (†1983) Italian
Agostino Cardinal Casaroli               15 Aug 1967 – 28 Apr 1979 (†1998) Italian
Achille Cardinal Silvestrini              4 May 1979 –  1 Mar 1988 (†2019) Italian
Angelo Cardinal Sodano                    1 Mar 1986 –  1 Dec 1990         Italian
Jean-Louis Pierre Cardinal Tauran         1 Dec 1990 –  6 Oct 2003 (†2018) French
Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo                  7 Oct 2003 – 15 Sep 2006         Italian
Archbishop Dominique F. J. Mamberti      15 Sep 2006 –  8 Nov 2014         French
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher         8 Nov 2014 -                     British

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