Legal status of the Holy See Legal status of the Holy See The legal status of the Holy See, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, both in state practice and according to the writing of modern legal scholars, is that of a full subject of public international law, with rights and duties analogous to those of States. Although the Holy See, as distinct from the Vatican City State, does not fulfill the long-established criteria in international law of statehood; i.e. having a permanent population, a defined territory, a stable government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states; its possession of
Administration of the Property of the Holy See Papal States in 1870. In 1891 he entrusted the management of the patrimony of the Holy See to a commission of cardinals, already set up to supervise, but not manage, the administration of Peter's Pence and of the patrimony of the Holy See. On 16 December 1926, Pope Pius XI united with this commission the Prefecture of the Sacred Palace and the Section of the Departments of the Church. On 15 August 1967, Pope Paul VI combined the Special Administration of the Holy See and the Administration of the Property of the Holy See into one office, the Administration of