Cardinal Secretary of State

The Secretary of State of His Holiness (), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, is in charge over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. The Secretariat of State is seen as the prime minister of the Holy See.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin has served as secretary of state since 2013, nominated by Francis and temporarily confirmed also by Leo XIV in May 2025.

List
Secretaries of State between 1551 and 1644
Girolamo Dandini (1551–1555)
Carlo Borromeo (1560–1565)
Tolomeo Gallio (1565–1566)
Girolamo Rusticucci (1566–1572)
Tolomeo Gallio (again) (1572–1585)
Decio Azzolini (seniore) (1585–1587)
Alessandro Peretti di Montalto (Cardinal-Nephew) (1587–1590)
Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (Cardinal-Nephew) (1591)
Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce (Cardinal-Nephew) (1591)
Pierbenedetto Peretti (1592–1593)
Pietro Aldobrandini (Cardinal-Nephew) and Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini (Cardinal-Nephew) (1593–1605)
Roberto Ubaldini (1605)
Erminio Valenti (1605)
Lanfranco Margotti (1605–1611)
Porifrio Feliciani (1611–1621)
Giovanni Battista Agucchi (1621–1623)
Lorenzo Magalotti (1623–1628)
Lorenzo Azzolini (1628–1632)
Pietro Benessa (1632–1634)
Francesco Adriano Ceva (1634–1643)
Giovanni Battista Spada (1643–1644)

Cardinal Secretaries of State since 1644
 No.Catholic Hierarchy  Name From Until First appointer 170pxGiovanni Giacomo Panciroli15 September 16443 September 1651 †Innocent X 270pxFabio Chigi3 December 16527 January 1655 370pxGiulio Rospigliosi7 April 165522 May 1667Alexander VII 470pxDecio Azzolino25 June 16679 December 1669Clement IX 570pxFederico Borromeo11 May 167018 February 1673 †Clement X 670pxFrancesco Nerli1 August 167322 July 1676 770pxAlderano Cybo-Malaspina23 September 167612 August 1689Innocent XI 870pxGiambattista Rubini6 October 16891 February 1691Alexander VIII 970pxFabrizio Spada14 July 169127 September 1700Innocent XII 1070pxFabrizio Paolucci3 December 170019 March 1721Clement XI 1170pxGiorgio Spinola10 May 17217 March 1724Innocent XIII 12(10)70pxFabrizio Paolucci6 June 172412 June 1726 †Benedict XIII 1370pxNiccolò Maria Lercari21 June 172621 February 1730 1470pxAntonio Banchieri15 July 173016 September 1733 †Clement XII 1570pxGiuseppe Firrao the Elder4 October 17336 February 1740 1670pxSilvio Valenti Gonzaga20 August 174028 August 1756 †Benedict XIV 1770pxAlberico Archinto20 September 175630 September 1758 † 1870pxLudovico Maria Torriggiani8 October 17582 February 1769Clement XIII 1970pxLazzaro Opizio Pallavicini19 May 176923 February 1785 †Clement XIV 2070pxIgnazio Gaetano Boncompagni Ludovisi29 June 178530 September 1789Pius VI 2170pxFrancesco Saverio de Zelada14 October 178910 February 1796 2270pxIgnazio Busca9 August 179618 March 1797 2370pxGiuseppe Maria Doria Pamphilj18 March 179729 August 1799 2470pxErcole Consalvi11 August 180017 June 1806Pius VII 2570pxFilippo Casoni17 June 18062 February 1808 2670pxGiulio Gabrielli the Younger26 March 180826 July 1814 27(24)70pxErcole Consalvi26 July 181420 August 1823 2870pxGiulio Maria della Somaglia28 September 182317 January 1828Leo XII 2970pxTommaso Bernetti17 January 182810 February 1829 3070pxGiuseppe Albani31 March 182930 November 1830Pius VIII 31(29)70pxTommaso Bernetti21 February 183112 January 1836Gregory XVI 3270pxLuigi Lambruschini12 January 18361 June 1846 3370pxTommaso Pasquale Gizzi8 August 18465 July 1847Pius IX 3470pxGabriele Ferretti17 July 18471 February 1848 3570pxGiuseppe Bofondi1 February 184810 March 1848 3670pxGiacomo Antonelli10 March 18484 May 1848 3770pxAntonio Francesco Orioli4 May 18482 June 1848 3870pxGiovanni Soglia Ceroni4 June 184829 November 1848 39(36)70pxGiacomo Antonelli29 November 18486 November 1876 † 4070pxGiovanni Simeoni18 December 18765 March 1878 4170pxAlessandro Franchi5 March 187831 July 1878 †Leo XIII 4270pxLorenzo Nina9 August 187816 December 1880 4370pxLuigi Jacobini16 December 188028 February 1887 † 4470pxMariano Rampolla del Tindaro2 July 188720 July 1903 4570pxRafael Merry del Val12 November 190320 August 1914Pius X 4670pxDomenico Ferrata4 September 191410 October 1914 †Benedict XV 4770pxPietro Gasparri13 October 19147 February 1930 4870pxEugenio Pacelli9 February 193010 February 1939Pius XI4970pxLuigi Maglione10 March 193922 August 1944 †Pius XIIOffice vacantPope Pius XII, having been the Secretary of State under Pope Pius XI, did not name a Secretary after the death of Cardinal Maglione in 1944. Beneath his direct supervision, the duties were divided between two  protonotaries apostolic, Domenico Tardini and Giovanni Battista Montini, who in 1952 were both named Pro-Secretary of State, for Extraordinary and Ordinary affairs respectively. In 1954 Montini (the future Pope Paul VI) was appointed  Archbishop of Milan, thus leaving the Roman Curia. 5070pxDomenico Tardini15 December 195830 July 1961 †John XXIII 5170pxAmleto Giovanni Cicognani12 August 196130 April 1969 5270pxJean-Marie Villot2 May 19699 March 1979 †Paul VI 5370pxAgostino Casaroli1 July 19791 December 1990John Paul II 5470pxAngelo Sodano29 June 199115 September 20065570pxTarcisio Bertone15 September 200615 October 2013Benedict XVI5670pxPietro Parolin15 October 2013IncumbentFrancis

References