THE HOLY SEE
*The Holy See acts and speaks for the whole church. It is also recognised by other subjects of international law as a sovereign entity, headed by the Pope, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.
-
similar to a centralised government with the Cardinal Secretary of State as its chief administrator, and various dicasteries, comparable to ministries and executive departments.
*Although it is often informally referred to as "the Vatican", the "Holy See" is not the same entity as the "Vatican City State", which came into existence only in 1929 because of the Lateran Treaty
*Papal representatives to states and international organizations are recognized as representing the Holy See, not the Vatican City State.
*The creation of the Vatican City State was meant to ensure the diplomatic and spiritual independence of the Pope.
*As an independent sovereign entity, holding the Vatican City enclave in Rome as an independent state, it maintains diplomatic relations with other states.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See