Pope Leo XIV issued a new Fundamental Law of Vatican City State Friday, replacing a previous version adopted in 2023.
In a preamble to the new document, which was issued only in Italian July 31, Leo XIV explained that the constitutional framework of Vatican City State needed to be updated “to take into account new requirements of governance and several important legislative changes introduced over recent years.”
He said that the new version of the Fundamental Law confirmed and integrated the changes.
The Fundamental Law of Vatican City State was first issued by Pope Pius XI in 1929, following the state’s creation under the Lateran Treaty, signed by Italy and the Holy See.
Pope St. John Paul II promulgated a new version of the Fundamental Law in 2000, which was revised by Pope Francis in 2023.
The new text, which goes into effect immediately, consists of 25 articles, one more than in the previous version.
The latest document has a new Article 16, which specifies the duties of the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, Vatican City’s legislative body under the authority of the pope. The Pontifical Commission’s president also serves as president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Vatican City’s executive governing body.
The updated Article 16 says: “The President of the Governorate ensures the governance of the State, oversees the executive function and the implementation of laws and other normative acts, issues the directives necessary for the general organization of the State, determines the administrative policies and personnel management policies, and coordinates the bodies of the Governorate.”
It adds: “The President, who is assisted by the Secretary General and, where appointed, by the Vice Secretary General, may delegate certain executive functions to the Secretary General and the Vice Secretary General.”
Highlighting the change, a July 31 report by Vatican News said: “Concerning the executive function, the new law confirms the role of the Governorate, whose organizational structure contributes to the proper mission of the State and serves the Successor of Peter, to whom it is directly accountable.”
“At the same time, it further clarifies the responsibilities of the President and the Secretary General, as well as their collaborative relationship. It also underscores the institutional nature of the office of the Secretary General, thereby indicating that the role may be entrusted to more than one person.”
Vatican News also pointed to an alteration in the wording of the section concerning judicial functions.
The 2023 version (Article 21, paragraph 1) said: “Judicial authority is exercised, in the name of the Supreme Pontiff, by the bodies established in accordance with the judicial system and by other bodies to which the law grants jurisdiction in specific matters.”
The 2026 document (Article 22, paragraph 1) says: “Judicial authority is exercised, in the name of the Supreme Pontiff, for adjudicative functions by the Tribunal, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation; and for investigative and prosecutorial functions by the Office of the Promoter of Justice. The legal status of the judicial bodies is established by the Law on the Judicial System.”
Vatican News commented: “As regards the judicial function, Article 22, paragraph 1, expressly reaffirms that the Law establishes the legal framework governing the judicial bodies of the Judicial System. Thanks to the significant reforms introduced in recent years, that law fully guarantees the proper administration of justice.”
Another difference between the 2023 and 2026 texts is found in Article 8, which previously said that the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State was composed solely of cardinals. The new version notes that the Pontifical Commission consists of “cardinals and other members.”
This reflects a development that occurred on Feb. 15, 2025, when Pope Francis appointed Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., as president of the Pontifical Commission and the Governorate of Vatican City State.
Pope Leo XIV updated the text of Article 8 in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio (on his own initiative) on Nov. 21, 2025 to acknowledge that non-cardinals can serve in the post.
Petrini is currently assisted by two secretaries general, the Italian Archbishop Emilio Nappa and the Italian lawyer Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi.
In the new document’s preamble, Pope Leo XIV said that the Fundamental Law served as “the foundation and reference point for every other norm and regulation” in Vatican City State.
He wrote that the law’s existence “reaffirms the singular distinctiveness and autonomy of the Vatican legal order, as well as the role of the Governorate, which contributes to the State’s own mission and is at the service of the Successor of Peter, to whom it answers directly.”
He added: “As in the past, the exercise of all resulting power over the territory defined by the Lateran Treaty, and over the buildings and areas where institutions of the State or the Holy See operate and where personal and functional guarantees and immunities are in force under international law, is conferred upon the governing bodies and upon those who, in various positions of responsibility and animated by a true ecclesial spirit, carry out their service for the State on a stable basis.”
Vatican City State, the world’s smallest independent state, is an enclave surrounded by the city of Rome. It covers an area of around 120 acres (49 hectares) and has roughly 700 citizens, roughly 70% of whom are resident in the territory.
The new version of the Fundamental Law, like the 2023 version, has three annexes. The first sets out the specifications of the Vatican City State flag, which is one of only two national flags that are officially square, alongside that of Switzerland.
The second annex presents the official coat of arms of Vatican City State, which is distinct from the Holy See’s coats of arms, and the third shows the state’s official seal.
Vast ecclesiastical powers…itty bitty living space