News

A delegation of the Governorate meets Rome’s Facilities Team of the Tri-mission of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

Challenges and accessibility in work environments and respect of the historical and artistic heritage

The theme of accessibility, which is part of a larger American programme called Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) was at the heart of the encounter between a delegation of the Governorate of Vatican City State and the Tri-mission Rome’s Facilities Team of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See.

Renewable energy and protection of the ecosystem

The Motu Proprio, Fratello Sole, calls for the construction of an agrivoltaic plant to supply electricity to Vatican City State

In his Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio, Fratello Sole of 21 June 2024, Pope Francis entrusted Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, with the “the task of constructing an agrivoltaic plant located within the extraterritorial zone of Santa Maria di Galeria that will guarantee, not only the power supply of the radio station there, but also the complete energy sustenance of Vatican City State”.

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga bestowed with the Order of the Quetzal of Guatemala

A sign of friendship between the Vatican and Guatemala

Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State and President of the Governorate, has been awarded with the highest national honour of Guatemala, the Order of the Quetzal. The award ceremony was held on Thursday morning, 20 June, in the Palace of the Governorate. Guatemalan Minister, Ambassador Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, and Alfredo Vásquez Rivera, Ambassador of Guatemala to the Holy See, attended the ceremony as representatives of the Guatemalan government.

Pope meets with participants in a conference promoted by the Vatican Observatory

Faith and science united in charity

“Faith and science can be united in charity, provided that science is put at the service of the men and woman of our time and not misused to harm or even destroy them. I encourage you, then, to press forward to the outer limits of human knowledge. For there, we can come to experience the God of love, who fulfils the deepest yearnings of the human heart”, Pope Francis said on Thursday morning, 20 June, to participants in the second international conference dedicated to Msgr. Georges Lemaître (1894-1966), the Belgian physicist who developed what is today known as the Big Bang theory.

General Secretary participates in a workshop on transparency and responsibility in the Catholic Church

The financial reform has brought great changes

“The financial reform that Pope Benedict began and that Pope Francis continued with dedication has brought great changes to the structures and procedures of the Holy See and Vatican City State”, said Sister Raffaella Petrini, Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and General Secretary of Vatican City State, in her address to participants in a workshop on “Transparency and Accountability in the Catholic Church: A Practical Journey”. The meeting was held on Wednesday morning, 19 June, in the Old Synod Hall in the Vatican.