Editing Roman Curia (section)

===Secretariat of State===
{{main|Secretariat of State (Holy See)}}

The Secretariat of State is the oldest [[dicastery]] in the Roman Curia. As the Papal Secretariat, it closely assists the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme mission. It comprises three sections: the Section for General Affairs, under the direction of the Substitute, with the assistance of the Assessor; the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations, under the direction of its secretary, with the assistance of the undersecretary and an undersecretary for the multilateral sector; and the Section for the Diplomatic Staff of the Holy See, under the direction of the secretary for papal representations, with the assistance of an undersecretary. The current secretary of the state is [[Pietro Parolin|Pietro Cardinal Parolin]].

==== Section for General Affairs ====
The Section for General Affairs is responsible for dealing with the following matters concerning the daily service of the Roman Pontiff: to examine those matters outside the ordinary competence of the curial institutions and other bodies of the Apostolic See; and to foster coordination among these dicasteries and other bodies and offices without prejudice to their autonomy. It is responsible for carrying out everything that concerns the Representatives of States of the Holy See. The current Substitute for General Affairs is [[Edgar Peña Parra|Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra]].

==== Section for Relations with States and International Organizations ====
The task of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations is to attend to the affairs that must be dealt with through the respective civil authorities. It is responsible for the following: to handle the diplomatic and political relations of the Holy See with states and with other subjects of international law; to deal with common affairs for the promotion of the good of the church and of civil society, also through the stipulation of concordats and other international agreements, taking into account the opinion of the episcopal bodies concerned; to represent the Holy See at international intergovernmental organizations, as well as at multilateral intergovernmental conferences, availing itself, if necessary, of the collaboration of the competent dicasteries and bodies of the Roman Curia; and to grant the ''nulla osta'' whenever a dicastery or body of the Roman Curia intends to publish a statement or document pertaining to international relations or relations with civil authorities. The current Secretary for Relations with States is [[Paul Gallagher (bishop)|Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher]].

==== Section for Diplomatic Staff of the Holy See ====
The Section for the Diplomatic Staff of the Holy See deals with matters pertaining to persons serving in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, in particular their living and working conditions and their ongoing formation. In carrying out his duties, the secretary visits the offices of the pontifical representations, and convokes and presides over meetings concerning their provisions. This section collaborates with the president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy with regard to the selection and training of candidates for the diplomatic service of the Holy See and maintains contact with retired diplomatic personnel. The current Secretary for Pontifical Representations is [[Jan Romeo Pawłowski|Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawłowski]].

===== Central Statistics Office of the Church =====
The Central Statistics Office, which operates under the Vatican Secretariat of State, conducts a variety of studies for the Roman Curia throughout the year. One of the office's biggest projects is compiling the 500-page ''Statistical Yearbook of the Church''. The yearbook tracks the Catholic population, both by a head count of the baptized in each country and as a percentage of the world's population. The current person-in-charge is Monsignor Tomislav Ɖukez.