Head of Government—Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo SODANO
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
_#_Elections:
Pope—last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); results—Karol WOJTYlA was elected for life by the College of Cardinals
_#_Communists: NA
_#_Other political or pressure groups: none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
_#_Member of: CSCE, IAEA, ICFTU, IMF (observer), INTELSAT, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
_#_Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121;
US—Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone [396] 639-0558