Lorenzo Cardinal Antonetti

Lorenzo Cardinal Antonetti

Function: President Emeritus of Adminstration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, Roman Curia

Title: Cardinal Deacon of St Agnes in Agone

Birthdate: Jul 31, 1922	Country: Italy

Elevated: Feb 21, 1998	More information: www.catholic-hierarchy.org

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Fundamental law for Vatican City government
Oct 14, 2004
A new Fundamental Law, or constitution, for the Vatican City-State took effect on February 22, the anniversary of the Lateran accords between Italy and the Vatican.

After the Lateran accords recognized the Vatican as a tiny state, with the Pope as sovereign, Pope Pius XI promulgated a constitution for the governance of the Vatican. This constitution has been periodically amended. Since 1969, a “pontifical commission” composed of five cardinals, each serving 5-year terms, has supervised the government of the Vatican. That commission is currently headed by Cardinal Edmund Szoka, who is assisted by a “special delegate”: an Italian layman, Giulio Sacchetti.

The new Fundamental Law, composed of 20 articles, makes some new distinctions between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the Vatican government. It also sets up the position of Secretary General, who will be charged with studying the Vatican’s relations with Italy in the context of the recent changes in the European community. Cardinal Lorenzo Antonetti, a member of the pontifical commission, observes that this is “the most significant change, in a document that is very technical and does not have any great concrete consequences.”

The new fundamental law includes no significant changes in the way the Vatican will be governed. Rather, the fundamental law incorporates various practical changes that have been made in recent years. The new text is also couched in more idiomatic modern language, eliminating some archaic terms.

The constitution serves a unique and highly specialized purpose: to establish the powers of a secular government in the world’s smallest sovereign state. This is no ordinary government; the text of the Fundamental Law makes it clear that the top priority for the Vatican city-state is to ensure the independence of the Holy See. The law stipulates that the Pope is the sovereign, the chief executive, legislator, and judge of the Vatican. Diplomats from other countries are formally accredited not to the Vatican, but to the Holy See.

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