The System of Government of Vatican City and the Internal Structure of the Holy See in the Context of the Issue of the International Legal Capacity of the Papacy

This article deals with the internal structure of the Holy See and the Vatican City State as the basis of their independent international legal status. It analyses the legal basis of the authority of the Pope as Head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City, the institutional system of the Roman Curia and the legislative, executive and judicial authorities of Vatican City, and the basis of the legal system of the Holy See and Vatican City. It is concluded that the institutional systems and domestic legal systems of the Holy See and Vatican City are different for each entity, which may be a prerequisite for the separate international legal personality of the Holy See and Vatican City.