Pope Francis has established a third section, or department, of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, which reportedly began its operations on Nov. 9. The new section is named “Section for the Diplomatic Staff,” and is tasked with overseeing the Holy See’s diplomatic corps, stationed around the world.
Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawlowski has been appointed to helm the third section. Previously the apostolic nuncio to Gabon, in 2015 Pawlowski was appointed head of the Office for Pontifical Representations, a sort of “human resources office” within the Secretariat of State. That office has been now elevated into an independent department, alongside the two sections that already constitute the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
