Orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See of the Catholic Church by his authority as head of the Holy See and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Historically, membership in these orders was either conferred by Papal bulls not signed by the Pope or by apostolic letters signed by the Pope himself. Since the reforms of these orders in the beginning of the 20th century, the diplomas have been signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State. In general, "Papal orders of knighthood" refers to the five equestrian orders of the Holy See awarded directly by the Supreme Pontiff as head of the Catholic Church, Holy See and
Foreign relations of the Holy See is active in international organizations and is a member of the following groups: The Holy See is also a permanent observer of the following international organizations: The Holy See is an observer on an informal basis of the following groups: The Holy See sends a delegate to the Arab League in Cairo. It is also a guest of honour to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since 6 April 1964, the Holy See has been a "permanent observer state" at the United Nations. In that capacity, the Holy See has since had a standing