CatholicLand

The Vatican City State has unveiled a new website on the Internet, pertaining to the government of the minuscule monarchy of which the Holy See is sovereign. The Holy See refers to the Petrine Office, the Roman Curia, and the Pope's magisterial authority as Bishop of Rome in union with the College of Cardinals. As Vicar of Christ, the Pope runs the Status Civitatis Vaticanæ, a distinct entity from the Holy See and yet inextricable in his person. It might be better to let the website explain this paradox.

Above is a picture of his crest, rendered in marble for the entryway to the Governorate Palace, prior to its installation in the floor:
I suppose one could think of the Holy See as the Pope governing the Church and the SCV as the Pope governing the State. In both cases he is Vicar of Christ. This is Catholic incarnationality in its most manifestly concrete form. If you want to understand the necessity of Christ's Vicar being so caught up in "wordly" affairs, read this.

If you are still feigning interest, read this from the Vatican website:
" The expression Holy See refers to the supreme Authority of the Church, and thus the Pope as Bishop of Rome and head of the College of Bishops. Defines therefore the Central Government of the Catholic Church. As such, the Holy See is an institution which, according to the international laws and customs, has a juridical personality which permits it to sign treaties and to send and receive diplomatic representatives, as juridical equivalent of a state.

The State of Vatican City came into existence with the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy on 11 February 1929 and ratified on 7 June 1929, by which Italy recognized the full property rights and exclusive sovereignty on the Vatican as it is made up at present . It is a very small territorial entity, with the purpose of making it possible for the Pope to exercise freely his Ministry of governing the universal Church .

The State of Vatican City and the Holy See, both sovereign subjects of international public law , universally recognized , are indissolubly united in the person of the Supreme Pontiff, as Head of State , who possesses full legislative, judicial and executive powers. In periods of "Sede Vacante" (Vacancy of the Apostolic See), these powers belong to the College of Cardinals. The Supreme Pontiff governs the State through the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City (legislative power; composed of cardinals, nominated by him for a 5 year period) and the Governatorate of the State of Vatican City (executive power). The legislative regulations are published in a special supplement of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

The judicial power is exercised, in the name of the Supreme Pontiff, by the constituted organs according to the juridical structure of the State: a Magistrate, a Court of First Instance, a Court of Appeal and a Court of Cassation.

The Supreme Pontiff represents, through the Secretariat of State, the State of Vatican City in relations with foreign States, for the conclusion of Treaties and for diplomatic relations.

Between 1870 and 1929, when the State of Vatican City did not exist, the Holy See maintained diplomatic relations with many States. Diplomatic envoys to the Holy See, with a certain stable character, are found since the end of the XV century. In the XVI century the constitution of permanent representations began.

The Holy See, besides the active right of diplomatic representation (the Apostolic Nuncio is a pontifical Representative, who covers the permanent function of representation of the Roman Pontiff with States and with the local ecclesiastical hierarchy), exercises the passive right, which means that it receives Representatives sent by States in extraordinary and temporary mission or ordinary and permanent mission.

Both the State of Vatican City and the Holy See, as the sovereign organ of the Catholic Church, have obtained an ever growing recognition of their distinct international character. They are members of international organizations and participate in international conferences according to the relative agreements."