Government of Vatican City

Government of Vatican City
Gubernatoratus Civitatis Vaticanæ
Central government
The coat of arms used since 2023[1]
Overview
State	Vatican
Leader	Pope (Pope Leo XIV)
Annual budget	GB£1,189 billion
Headquarters	Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

The Government of Vatican City State is the sovereign national administration of the Holy See. The Holy See is a non-democratic state, governed by an absolutist and elective monarchy, headed by the Pope, based in Vatican City.

The Holy Father, as sovereign of the State, ex officio accumulates legislative, executive, and judicial powers; during the period of the sede vacante, these powers are exercised by the College of Cardinals.

The pope is elected in the papal conclave, composed of all the cardinal electors which are bishops and archbishops appointed by the pope, now limited to all the cardinals below the age of 80, after the death or resignation of the previous Pope.

As with almost all monarchies, the executive, legislative and judicial power of government reside in the crown, in this case in the office of the Bishop of Rome (the pope). As with many monarchies, the pope exercises this power through other organs which act on his behalf and in his name.