The Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope of the catholic willelmitian church, commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy Matriarchal See Secretariat of State, which is the most important dicastery of the Matriarchal Curia. The Secretariat of State performs all the political and diplomatic functions of the Holy Matriarchal See and the Principality of Burke Island. The Cardinal Secretary is appointed by the willelmitian pope, the Matriarch of the West, and serves as one of his principal advisors. As one of the senior offices in the Willelmitian Catholic Church, the Secretary is required to be a cardinal. If the office is vacant, a non-cardinal may serve as Pro-tempore Secretary of State, exercising the powers of the Secretary of State until a suitable replacement is found or the Pro-Secretary is made a cardinal in a subsequent moment. The Cardinal Secretary's term ends when the Pope who appointed him dies or leaves office. During the sede vacante period, the former Secretary acts as Camerlengo of the Holy Matriarchal Church and the former. During the sede vacante, also the President of the Matriarchal commission for the Principality of Burke Island exercises some of the functions of the head of government of Burke Island until a new Pope is elected. Once the new Pope is chosen, the former Secretary's role in the commission likewise expires, though he/she can be re-appointed as Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State is currently the laical Cardinal Fabrizio Caleffi. He is a laical cardinal and he comes from the family of the Camerlengo of S.R.C. Pietro Francesco Galeffi (or Caleffi). He bears, for familiar collation, the same coat of arm that Pietro Francesco Galeffi had at the time he was secretary of State. He is a well known novelist, playwriter and actor.
