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Secretariat of State
Secretariat of State
Leadership
Cardinal Secretary of State
Pietro Parolin
About Pietro Parolin
Pietro Parolin was born on 17 January 1955 in Schiavon, Province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. His father died in a car accident when Parolin was ten years old. He was ordained to the priesthood on 27 April 1980 and earned advanced degrees in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University and in diplomacy at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Parolin entered the Holy See's diplomatic service in 1986, serving first in Nigeria and later in Mexico and the Secretariat of State in Rome.
He served as Undersecretary of State for Relations with States from 2002 to 2009, playing a key role in Vatican diplomacy, including delicate negotiations with China over episcopal appointments and with Vietnam over Church-state relations. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela on 7 August 2009, consecrating him a bishop on 12 September of that year. He served in Caracas through some of the most turbulent years of Venezuelan politics.
Pope Francis appointed Parolin Secretary of State on 31 August 2013—effectively the Vatican's prime minister and the highest position in the Roman Curia. Pope Francis created him a Cardinal-Priest of Santa Trinità al Monte Pincio on 22 February 2014. In this role he has been the primary architect of Vatican foreign policy, including the landmark 2018 China–Holy See Provisional Agreement on episcopal appointments. During the 2025 papal conclave following Pope Francis's death, Parolin presided as senior voting cardinal bishop and was widely regarded as a leading candidate before the election of Pope Leo XIV on 8 May 2025.
Mailing Address
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🇻🇦 Vatican City
Cardinal Secretary of StatePietro Parolin
Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano
Vatican City State
00120 VATICANO
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About
The Secretariat of State closely assists the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme mission. It comprises three sections: General Affairs, Relations with States and International Organizations, and Diplomatic Staff of the Holy See.