8 - The Secretariat of State

Summary

The Secretariat of State is a body of the Roman Curia that is closely linked to the heart of the papacy, insofar as it operates in direct union with the pope and makes his wishes a reality. Studying its development is helpful for identifying the evolution of the policies of the popes and, above all, the evolution of the institution of the papacy. The more the papacy assumes a central role in Catholicism, the more it requires effective political offices. Thus, the Secretariat of State constitutes that key uniting feature between the will of the pope and the structure of the Roman government, local churches, and national governments. The history of the Secretariat of State is an institutional history and a history of its members; it is a history that can be properly understood from the perspective of religious history; it is a history of the ideas and power within the Church.