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
Democratic Republic of the Congo–Holy See relations a national reconciliation process could take place. He also talked about the increase in relations between the Holy See and DR Congo. In May 2016, the governments of the DRC and the Vatican signed an agreement regarding matters of common interest, consisting of 21 articles. Those included the institutions of Catholic education, teaching of religion in schools, welfare and charitable activities of the Church, pastoral care in the armed forces and prison and hospital institutions, as well as property tax and the obtaining of entry visas and residence permits for religious personnel. The document also establishes the legal position of