Fundamental Law of Vatican City State
| Fundamental Law of Vatican City State | |
|---|---|
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| Created | 22 February 2001 |
| Author(s) | Pope John Paul II |
| Purpose | give systematic form to changes in the state structure |
The Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 26 November 2000, is the main governing document of the Vatican's civil entities. It obtained the force of law of 22 February 2001, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle, and replaced in its entirety law N. I (the Fundamental Law of Vatican City of 7 June 1929). All the norms in force in Vatican City State which were not in agreement with the new Law were and the original of the Fundamental Law, bearing the Seal of Vatican City State, was deposited in the Archive of the Laws of Vatican City State and the corresponding text was published in the Supplement to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. The law consists of 20 Articles.
Having taken into account the need to give a systematic and organic form to the changes introduced in successive phases in the juridical structure of Vatican City State and wishing to make it correspond always better to the institutional purposes of the State, which exists as an appropriate guarantee of the freedom of the Apostolic See and as a means of assuring the real and visible independence of the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his mission in the world, We, on our own initiative and with certain knowledge, with the fullness of Our sovereign authority, have established and hereby establish the following, to be observed as the Law of the State:
Art. 1 §1 declares that “The Supreme Pontiff, Sovereign of Vatican City State, has the fullness of legislative, executive and judicial powers.”
Art. 1 §2 says that during an Interregnum, the same Powers stated in §1 belong to the College of Cardinals but that this College can only issue legislative dispositions in cases of urgency and with efficacy limited to the time of interregnum, unless confirmed by the Pope elected according to the norm of Canon Law (the Ap. Const. Universi Dominici Gregis governs papal elections and is thus implied by this wording).
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