The Holy See — which must be clearly distinguished from the city-state of Vatican City — has long been recognized as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. It remains such, and indeed one observer has said that its interaction with the world has, in the period since the Second World War, been at the highest point it has ever had. The diplomatic activities of the Holy See are directed by the Secretariat of State (headed by the Cardinal Secretary of State), through the Section for Relations with States.