The Roman Curia (Latin: Curia Romana, lit. '[Royal] Court of Rome') comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Vatican Curia.
The Roman Curia is the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office and universal mission in the world: thus curialism refers traditionally to an emphasis on the supreme authority of the Holy See within the Catholic Church. It is at the service of the Pope and bishops, fulfilling their function with an evangelical spirit, working for the good and at the service of communion, unity and edification of the Universal Church and attending to the demands of the world in which the Church is called to fulfill its duty and mission (Praedicate evangelium, article 1).
The structure and organization of responsibilities within the Curia are at present regulated by the apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium issued by Pope Francis on 19 March 2022, which entered into force on 5 June 2022. It was previously regulated by Pastor bonus, issued by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. With the coming into force of Praedicate evangelium, Pastor bonus was fully abrogated and replaced.
Other bodies that play an administrative or consulting role in ecclesial affairs are sometimes mistakenly identified with the Curia, such as the Synod of Bishops and regional conferences of bishops. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote in 2015 that "the Synod of Bishops is not a part of the Roman Curia in the strict sense: it is the expression of the collegiality of bishops in communion with the Pope and under his direction. The Roman Curia instead aids the Pope in the exercise of his primacy over all the churches."
Historical background
The Curia was created by Pope Urban II (r. 1088–1099). The Roman Curia (Latin: Curia Romana, lit. '[Royal] Court of Rome') comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See.
Curia in medieval and later Latin usage means "court" in the sense of "royal court" rather than "court of law". The Roman Curia is sometimes anglicized as the Court of Rome, as in the 1534 Act of Parliament (Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 s. III) that forbade appeals to it from England. It is the papal court and assists the Pope in carrying out his functions. The Roman Curia can be loosely compared to cabinets in governments of countries with a Western form of governance, but the only sections that can be directly compared with specific ministries of a civil government are the Second Section of the Secretariat of State, known also as the Section for Relations with States, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State (established in 1939 by Pius XII), and the Congregation for Catholic Education.
It is normal for every Latin Catholic diocese to have its own curia for its administration. For the Diocese of Rome, these functions are not handled by the Roman Curia, but by the Vicariate General of His Holiness for the City of Rome, as provided by the apostolic constitution Ecclesia in Urbe. The pope has, going back to St. Peter, been the bishop of Rome. There are also the Vicar General of Rome, traditionally a cardinal, and his deputy, the vicegerent, who holds the personal title of archbishop, who supervise the governance of the diocese by reference to the Pope himself, but with no more dependence on the Roman Curia, as such, than other Catholic dioceses throughout the world. A distinct office, the Vicar General for Vatican City, administers the portion of the Diocese of Rome in Vatican City.
Until recently, there still existed hereditary officers of the Roman Curia, holding titles denominating functions that had ceased to be a reality when the Papal States were lost to the papacy. A reorganization, ordered by Pope Pius X, was incorporated into the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Further steps toward reorganization were begun by Pope Paul VI in the 1960s. Among the goals of this curial reform were the modernization of procedures and the internationalization of the curial staff. These reforms are reflected in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The offices of the Vatican City State are not part of the Roman Curia, which is composed only of offices of the Holy See. As of 2020, the Curia comprises the offices listed in the sections below. Most members of the Curia except, among some others, the Cardinal Camerlengo and the Major Penitentiary resign their office immediately after a papal death or resignation. See sede vacante.
Structure
The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the dicasteries and the bodies, all of which are juridically equal. By the term "curial institutions" is meant the units of the Roman Curia. The offices of the Roman Curia are the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church (Praedicate evangelium, Article 12).
In general, each curial institution is composed of a prefect or equivalent, a suitable number of Members, one or more Secretaries who assist the prefect, together with, but in a subordinate line, one or more under-secretaries, who are flanked by various Officials and Consultors (Praedicate evangelium, Article 13 § 1).
The members of the curial institutions are appointed from among the Cardinals residing both in and outside Rome, to whom are added, in as much as they are particularly expert in the matters in question, some bishops, especially diocesan/eparchial ones, as well as, according to the nature of the dicastery, some priests and deacons, some members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life and some lay faithful (Praedicate evangelium, Article 15).
The prefect, or his equivalent, the members, the secretary, the undersecretary and the other major officials assigned to heads of office, equivalents and experts, as well as the consultors, are appointed by the Roman Pontiff for five-year terms. As a rule, after five years, clerical officials and members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life who have served in curial institutions and offices return to pastoral care in their diocese or parish or in the institutes or societies to which they belong. Should the superiors of the Roman Curia deem it opportune, the service may be extended for another period of five years (Praedicate evangelium, Article 17).
Despite this general structure, some curial institutions have a different structure either due to a special law made for the curial institution or because of the nature of the curial institution (Praedicate evangelium, Article 13 § 2). Some examples of curial institutions with a special structure are the Apostolic Penitentiary (Praedicate evangelium, Article 190) and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota (Praedicate evangelium, Article 201).
In the event of the Apostolic See becoming vacant, all the heads of curial institutions and members cease to hold office. Exceptions to this rule include the Major Penitentiary, who continues to carry out the ordinary business within his competence, proposing to the College of Cardinals those matters that he would report to the Roman Pontiff; and the almoner of His Holiness, who continues in the exercise of works of charity according to the same criteria used during the pontificate, remaining in the employ of the College of Cardinals until the election of the new Roman Pontiff. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the secretaries are responsible for the ordinary government of curial institutions, taking care only of matters of ordinary administration. Within three months of the election of the Roman Pontiff, they are to be confirmed in their office by him. The Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations assumes the duties provided for in the norms concerning the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of the Roman Pontiff (Praedicate evangelium, Article 18).
Secretariat
Secretariat of State
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 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 Archbishop Paolo Rudelli.
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 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 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.
Dicasteries
Under the new constitution, all the Vatican's main departments are now known as "dicasteries". Alongside removing the title "congregation" from Vatican departments, the new constitution renames pontifical councils as "dicasteries". The constitution says: "The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the dicasteries and other bodies, all juridically equal to each other". The curial institutions are now made up of 16 dicasteries. Each dicastery is headed by a prefect, and supported by secretary and under-secretary.
Dicastery for Evangelization
The Dicastery for Evangelization is competent for the fundamental questions of evangelization in the world and for the establishment, accompaniment and support of the new particular churches, without prejudice to the competence of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.
This new dicastery is a merger of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. It is made up of two sections: one for fundamental questions of evangelization in the world, and one for first evangelization and the new particular churches in the territories within its competence. It is presided over directly by the Roman Pontiff, currently Leo XIV. Each of the two sections is governed in his name and by his authority by a pro-prefect.
Section for Fundamental Issues in World Evangelization
It is the task of this section to study, in collaboration with the particular churches, episcopal conferences and eastern hierarchical structures, institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, the fundamental questions of evangelization and the development of an effective announcing the Gospel by identifying appropriate forms, instruments and language. The section gathers the most significant experiences in the field of evangelization, making them available to the entire church. It encourages reflection on the history of evangelization and mission, especially in their relationship to the political, social, and cultural events that have marked and conditioned the preaching of the Gospel. The current pro-prefect is Archbishop Salvatore (Rino) Fisichella.
Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches
This section supports the proclamation of the Gospel and the deepening of the life of faith in the territories of first evangelization and deals with everything that concerns the erection of ecclesiastical circumscriptions or their modifications, as well as their provisioning, and it carries out the other tasks in the same way as the Dicastery for Bishops does within the scope of its competence. The section, according to the principle of just autonomy, supports the new particular churches in the work of first evangelization and growth, collaborating with the particular churches, episcopal conferences, institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, associations, ecclesial movements, new communities, and ecclesial assistance agencies. To this section are entrusted the pontifical missionary societies – the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Pontifical Society of the Missionary Childhood, and the Pontifical Missionary Union – as instruments for the promotion of the missionary responsibility of every baptized person and for the support of the new particular churches. The current pro-prefect is Luis Antonio Cardinal Gokim Tagle.
Associated organization
International Council for Catechesis
The International Council for Catechesis (COINCAT) was established by Pope Paul VI on 7 June 1973, as a consultative body within the Congregation for the Clergy. The general purpose of COINCAT, as explained in the Annuario Pontificio, is "to study the more important catechetical themes for the service of the Apostolic See and the episcopal conferences and to present proposals and suggestions." Specifically, it investigates concrete themes and important catechetical problems for the universal church, suggesting solutions and proposals for pastoral action; it provides information on the necessity of catechesis and new approaches being taken in various parts of the world; and it facilitates the exchange of catechetical experiences between the Holy See and the diverse areas in the church and among the members themselves. The current president is Archbishop Salvatore (Rino) Fisichella.
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, previously known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, is the oldest of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The task of the Dicastery is to assist in the proclamation of the Gospel globally, promoting and protecting the integrity of Catholic doctrine on faith and morals, drawing on the deposit of faith and also seeking an ever deeper understanding of it in the face of new questions. The dicastery is made up of two sections – the Doctrinal Section and the Disciplinary Section – each coordinated by a secretary who assists the prefect in the specific area of his competence. The current prefect is Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández.
Doctrinal Section
The Doctrinal Section fosters and supports study and reflection on the understanding of faith and morals and the development of theology in different cultures, in the light of sound doctrine and the challenges of the times, so as to offer answers, in the light of faith, to the questions and arguments that emerge with the progress of the sciences and the evolution of civilizations.
Disciplinary Section
The Disciplinary Section, through the Disciplinary Office, deals with crimes reserved to the dicastery and dealt with by it through the jurisdiction of the Supreme Apostolic Tribunal therein established, proceeding to declare or impose canonical penalties in accordance with the norms of law, whether common or proper, without prejudice to the competence of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Associated organizations
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is established within the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Its task is to provide the Pope with advice and to propose the most appropriate initiatives for the protection of minors and vulnerable persons and promote local responsibility in the particular churches for the protection of all minors and vulnerable adults. Since July 2025 the current president has been Archbishop Thibault Verny.
International Theological Commission
The International Theological Commission (ITC) is a body of the Roman Curia that advises the Magisterium in examining doctrinal questions of major importance, particularly the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The president of the commission is the ex officio prefect of the dicastery.
Pontifical Biblical Commission
The Pontifical Biblical Commission is a consultative body, placed at the service of the Magisterium and linked to the dicastery, to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of the Bible. The president of the commission is the ex officio prefect of the dicastery.
College for the review of appeals by clergy accused of delicta reservata
The college for the review of appeals by clergy accused of delicta reservata is a commission under the jurisdiction of the dicastery composed of bishops tasked to review sexual abuse cases of minors committed by clerics. The current president is Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
Dicastery for the Service of Charity
The Dicastery for the Service of Charity, also called the Apostolic Alms Office, is a special expression of mercy and, starting from the option for the poor, the vulnerable and the excluded, it exercises in any part of the world the work of assistance and help towards them in the name of the Roman Pontiff, who in cases of particular indigence or other need, personally arranges the aid to be allocated.
The dicastery, under the guidance of the prefect, the almoner of His Holiness, in contact with other competent dicasteries, makes concrete, through its activity, the solicitude and closeness of the Roman Pontiff, as pastor of the Universal Church, towards those who live in situations of indigence, marginalization or poverty, as well as on the occasion of serious calamities.
Formerly the Office of Papal Charities, the change gives the office "a more significant role in the Curia". The current prefect is the almoner of His Holiness, Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA.
Dicastery for the Eastern Churches
The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches is responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and maintaining the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical, disciplinary and spiritual patrimony of the Latin Church, the heritage of the various Oriental Christian traditions. It has exclusive authority over the following regions: Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, southern Albania and Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Ukraine. Its members include all Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops, as well as the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The current prefect is Claudio Gugerotti.