The following have been described as sacerdotal or partly sacerdotal states.
Current Andorra Andorra operates under a semi-sacerdotal system, as one of its co-heads of state is the
Roman Catholic bishop of Urgell, while the other is the
president of France, however the
co-princes of Andorra are not closely involved in the government. The Bishop of Urgell is one of two Catholic religious figures that also lead a country, the other being the
pope, who leads Vatican City. Like other bishops, the Bishop of Urgell is also appointed by the pope in his capacity as
bishop of Rome; thus, the pope appoints a fellow head of state.
Iran The
Supreme Leader of Iran, who is elected for life by a body consisting of senior
Twelver Shī'a Muslim clerics, is the head of state and highest political authority in the country, as well the spiritual leader in his capacity as an
ayatollah.
United Kingdom Since the
English Reformation,
English and
British monarchs have held the title
supreme governor of the Church of England, signifying leadership of the
state church. The subsequent
personal and legal unions with
Wales,
Scotland and
Ireland did not extend
Anglicanism's status of state church to these lands. Thus in the
United Kingdom, the monarch is the
head of state and also the leader of the state church in
England and its
Crown dependencies.
Vatican City 's head of state and government is the
pope, who is the head of the
Catholic Church, with the current pope being
Leo XIV (pictured).
Vatican City operates under an
episcopal system, its head of state since the eighth century is the
pope of the
Catholic Church. The pope is one of the two Catholic religious figures that also lead a country, the other being the Bishop of Urgell of Andorra.
Former Montenegro The
Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro was a
Serbian Orthodox ecclesiastical principality that existed from 1516 until 1852 in the
Balkans during the
Ottoman Empire's rule over most of the region.
Tibet In the past,
Tibet was ruled by the
Dalai Lamas, political leaders who were symbolic religious leaders but had no formal position in religious organisations, so not being sacerdotal. == References ==