Vatican City

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Vatican City, officially State of the Vatican City (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae; Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano), is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), it is the smallest independent nation in the world.^[1]

It was created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756 to 1870). Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy that is ruled by the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic Church. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin:Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace — the Pope's official residence — and the Roman Curia. Thus, while the principal ecclesiastical seat (Cathedral) of the Pope as Bishop of Rome (the Basilica of St. John Lateran) is located outside of its walls, in Rome, Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church.

Contents 1 Territory 2 Head of State 3 History 4 Government 4.1 Political system 4.2 Administration 4.3 Military 4.4 Communications 5 Geography 6 Economy 7 Demographics 7.1 Population and languages 7.2 Citizenship 8 Foreign relations 9 Culture 10 Crime 11 Transport and communications 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

Territory

The name "Vatican" is ancient and predates Christianity, coming from the Latin Mons Vaticanus, Vatican Hill. The territory of Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields where St. Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with various other buildings. The area was part of the Roman rione of Borgo until 1929. Being separated from the city, on the west bank of the Tiber river, the area was an outcrop of the city that was protected by being included within the walls of Leo IV, and later expanded by the current fortification walls of Paul III/Pius IV/Urban VIII. When the Lateran Treaty of 1929 that gave the state its present form was being prepared, the boundaries of the proposed territory was influenced by the fact that much of it was all but enclosed by this loop. For some tracts of the frontier, there was no wall, but the line of certain buildings supplied part of the boundary, and for a small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed. The territory included St. Peter's Square, which was not possible to isolate from the rest of Rome, and therefore a largely imaginary border with Italy runs along the outer limit of the square where it touches on Piazza Pio XII and Via Paolo VI. St. Peter's Square is reached through the Via della Conciliazione which runs from the Tiber River to St. Peter's. This grand approach was constructed by Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty.

According to the Lateran Treaty, certain properties of the Holy See that are located in Italian territory, most notably Castel Gandolfo and the Patriarchal Basilicas, enjoy extraterritorial status similar to that of foreign embassies.^[2][3]. These properties, scattered all over Rome and Italy, house essential offices and institutions necessary to the character and mission of the Holy See.^[3] Castel Gandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of the Vatican City State and not by Italian police. St. Peter's Square is ordinarily policed jointly by both.^[2]

Head of State

The Pope is ex officio head of state and head of government of Vatican City. He is simultaneously and primordially the bishop of the Diocese of Rome, and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. The term Holy See expresses the totality of his governance and pastoral ministry. His official title with regard to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City.

The papacy is a non-hereditary, elective monarchy, chosen by the College of Cardinals. The pope is also technically an absolute monarch, meaning he has total legislative, executive and judicial power over the Vatican City. He is the only absolute monarch in Europe.

The pope is elected for a life term in conclave by cardinals under the age of 80. His principal subordinate government officials for Vatican City are the Secretary of State, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, and the Governor of Vatican City.

The current Pope is Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone of Italy is the Secretary of State. Italian Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo serves as both the President of the Pontifical Commission and Governor. Both Bertone and Lajolo were appointed by Pope Benedict in September 2006.

History

Vatican City^a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Holy See
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv, vi
Identification	#286
Regionb	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	1984 8th Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO

Main article: History of the Vatican City

Even before the arrival of Christianity, it is supposed that this originally uninhabited part of Rome (the ager vaticanus) had long been considered sacred, or at least not available for habitation. The area was also the site of worship to the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her consort Attis during Roman times.^[4] Agrippina the Elder (14 BC – 18 October AD 33) drained the hill and environs and built her gardens there in the early 1st century AD. Emperor Caligula (37-41) started construction of a circus (40) that was later completed by Nero, the Circus Gaii et Neronis.^[5] The Vatican obelisk was originally taken by Caligula from Heliopolis to decorate the spina of his circus and is thus its last visible remnant. This area became the site of martyrdom of many Christians after the great fire of Rome in 64. Ancient tradition holds that it was in this circus that Saint Peter was crucified upside down. Opposite the circus was a cemetery separated by the Via Cornelia. Funeral monuments and mausoleums and small tombs as well as altars to pagan gods of all kinds of polytheistic religions were constructed lasting until before the construction of the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter's in the first half of the 4th century. Remains of this ancient necropolis were brought to light sporadically during renovations by various popes throughout the centuries increasing in frequency during the Renaissance until it was systematically excavated by orders of Pope Pius XII from 1939 to 1941.

In 326, the first church, the Constantinian basilica, was built over the site that Catholic apologists as well as noted Italian archaeologists argue was the tomb of Saint Peter, buried in a common cemetery on the spot. From then on the area started to become more populated, but mostly only by dwelling houses connected with the activity of St. Peter's. A palace was constructed near the site of the basilica as early as the 5th century during the pontificate of Pope Symmachus (b. ?? – d. Jul. 19, 514; pope 498-514).^[6]

Popes in their secular role gradually came to govern neighbouring regions and, through the Papal States, ruled a large portion of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when most of the territory of the Papal States was seized by the newly created Kingdom of Italy. For much of this time the Vatican was not the habitual residence of the Popes, but rather the Lateran Palace, and in recent centuries, the Quirinal Palace, while the residence from 1309-1377 was at Avignon in France.

In 1870, the Pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation when Rome itself was annexed by the Piedmont-led forces which had united the rest of Italy. After a nominal resistance by the papal forces. Between 1861 and 1929 the status of the pope was referred to as the "Roman Question". They were undisturbed in their palace, and given certain recognitions by the Law of Guarantees, including the right to send and receive ambassadors. But they did not recognize the Italian king's right to rule in Rome, and they refused to leave the Vatican compound until the dispute was resolved in 1929. Other states continued to maintain international recognition of the Holy See as a sovereign entity. In practice Italy made no attempt to interfere with the Holy See within the Vatican walls. However, they confiscated church property in many other places, including, perhaps most notably, the Quirinal Palace, formerly the pope's official residence. Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), the last ruler of the Papal States, claimed that after Rome was annexed he was a "Prisoner in the Vatican". This situation was resolved on February 11, 1929 between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy.

The treaty was signed by Benito Mussolini and Pietro Cardinal Gasparri in behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III and Pope Pius XI (1922-1939), respectively. The Lateran Treaty and the Concordat established the independent State of the Vatican City and granted Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a new concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain provisions of the earlier treaty, including the position of Catholicism as the Italian state religion.

Government

Main article: Politics of the Vatican City

Political system

For historical reasons, the government of Vatican City has a unique structure. As noted, the principal figures are the Secretary of State, the President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State, and the Governor of Vatican City. These, like all other officials, are appointed by the Pope and can be dismissed by him at any time.

During a sede vacante (papal vacancy), the Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, former Secretary of State, and former President of the Pontifical Commission form a commission that performs some of the functions of the head of state; while another made up of the Chamberlain and three cardinals (one being chosen by lot every three days from each order of cardinals), performs other functions of the head of state. All decisions of these commissions must be approved by the College of Cardinals.

The State of the Vatican City, as created by the Lateran Treaty, enables the Holy See (the Diocese of Rome) to exist with a temporal jurisdiction, territorial identity, recognition, and independence within a small territory as a true nation-state in the eyes of other nations after the loss of the Papal States in 1870. The Vatican City State is not the Holy See. The Vatican City can thus be deemed a significant but not essential constituent entity of the Holy See. The Holy See has existed continuously as a juridical entity since Roman Imperial times and had been recognized by other sovereigns, nations and foreign powers as a powerful and independent sovereign (even suzerain) entity since late antiquity to the present, even during periods when it held no territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929). The Holy See has the oldest active continuous diplomatic representation or service in the world, dating back to at least AD 325 with its legation to the Council of Nicea.^[7] Indeed, other nations have their diplomatic relations with the Holy See, never the Vatican City State. Thus, as far as the nation-state of the Vatican is concerned, its Head of State, the Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, is the pope. As far as it is concerned, the pope is its absolute monarch — who just happens to be a bishop.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church as governed by the Holy See is the proper ecclesiastical government. This is not necessarily the case for the Vatican City State. In fact, prior to the reforms made by Pope Paul VI (b. Sep. 26, 1897 – d. Aug. 6, 1978; pope Jun. 21, 1963 – Aug. 6, 1978), a large number of nobles existed within the government of the Vatican. A noble class still exists today that continues to form part of the papal court drawn from the ranks of Roman and European nobility (see Papal Gentlemen, Papal Master of the Horse, Prefecture for the Pontifical Household, Hereditary Officers of the Roman Curia). The size of the papal court, however, had been reduced to a great extent after the reforms made by Pope Paul VI (the Papal Court was reformed by the Bull Pontificalis Domus of 1969)^[8]. All cardinals, however, continue to have the royal rank of prince of the blood. Its royal character is a vestige of the temporal power of the popes who have ruled the Papal States for more than a thousand years and, prior to the Papal States, as the highest civil and religious authority of the Roman and Byzantine empires in Rome since late antiquity. Therefore, within this context, the State of the Vatican City is, although elected, a true monarchy in every sense of the word.^[9]

Administration

The Governor of Vatican City, sometimes known as the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City, has duties similar to those of a mayor or city executive, concentrating on material questions concerning the state's territory, including local security, but excluding external relations. The Vatican City maintains two modern security corps, the Swiss Guards, a voluntary military force drawn from male Swiss citizens, and the Corpo della Vigilanza dello Stato della Città del Vaticano.

Legislative power is vested in the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, led by a president. Members are cardinals appointed by the pope for terms of five years.

The judicial functions are handled by three tribunals — the Apostolic Signatura, the Sacra Rota Romana, and the Apostolic Penitentiary, which are also the judicial arm of the Holy See (see below). The legal system is based on canon, or ecclesiastical, law; if Canon Law is not applicable, special laws of the territory apply, often modelled on Italian provisions.

See also: Fundamental Law of the Vatican

Military

The Vatican City State has the distinction of having the smallest and oldest regular army in the world, the Swiss Guard. It was founded by Pope Julius II on January 22, 1506, and originally made up of Swiss mercenaries from the Swiss Confederation. They currently number a little over 100 men and are also the personal bodyguards of the Pope. Recruitment is restricted to Catholic male Swiss citizens.

The Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard were disbanded during the reign of Pope Paul VI in 1970.

The Corpo della Gendarmeria acts as the internal police force. Its full name is Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano although it is sometimes still referred to as Vigilanza, which is a shortening of an earlier name.

The Vatican has no navy and no air force. External defense is handled by the surrounding state of Italy.

Communications

Vatican City has its own post office, fire brigade, police service, commissary (supermarket), bank (the automatic teller machines offer customers service in Latin, among other languages), railway station, electricity generating plant, and publishing house. The Vatican also controls its own Internet domain (.va).

Vatican Radio, which was organized by Guglielmo Marconi himself, today offers short- medium- and long-wave and broadband service around the world. The Vatican has also been given a radio ITU prefix, HV, and this is sometimes used by amateur radio operators. Transmission antennae are located in Italian territory. Television services are provided through another entity, the Vatican Television Center.^[10]

L'Osservatore Romano is the semi-official newspaper, published daily in Italian, and weekly in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French (plus a monthly edition in Polish). It is published by a private corporation under the direction of Catholic laymen but carries official information. Acta Apostolicae Sedis is the official publication of the Holy See, carrying the official texts of Church documents, but is little read other than by scholars and Church professionals. Official documents are also available on the Vatican web site.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Vatican City

The Vatican City, one of the European microstates, is situated on the Vatican Hill in the west-central part of Rome, several hundred metres west of the Tiber river. Its borders (3.2 km or 2 miles in total, all within Italy) closely follow the city wall constructed to protect the Pope from outside attack. The situation is more complex at the famous St. Peter's Square in front of St. Peter's Basilica, where the correct border is just outside the ellipse formed by Bernini's colonnade, but where police jurisdiction has been entrusted to Italy. The Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world at 0.44 square kilometres (108.7 acres).

The Vatican climate is the same as Rome's; a temperate, Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters from September to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to August. There are some local features, principally mists and dews, caused by the anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the elevation, the fountains and the size of the large paved square.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Vatican City

The unique, non-commercial economy is supported financially by contributions (part of which is known as Peter's Pence) from Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.^[11] The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.^[11]

The Vatican City issues its own coins. It has used the euro as its currency since January 1, 1999, owing to a special agreement with the EU (council decision 1999/98/CE). Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 1, 2002--the Vatican does not issue euro banknotes. Issuance of euro-denominated coins are strictly limited by treaty, though somewhat more than usual is allowed in a year in which there is a change in the papacy.^[12] Because of their rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors.^[13] Until the adoption of the Euro, Vatican coinage and stamps were denominated in their own Vatican lira currency, which was on par with the Italian lira.

It also has its own bank, Istituto per le Opere di Religione (also known as the Vatican Bank, and with the acronym IOR).

• Budget: Revenues (2003) 252 million USD; expenditures (2003) 264 million USD.^[14]
• Industries: printing and production of few mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide financial activities.

Demographics

Population and languages

Almost all of Vatican City's 558 citizens either live inside the Vatican's walls or serve in the Vatican's diplomatic corps in embassies (called "nunciatures"; a papal ambassador is a "nuncio") around the world. The Vatican citizenry consists almost entirely of two groups: clergy working as officials of the Vatican as a state or of the Catholic Church; and the Swiss Guard. Most of the 3,000 lay workers who comprise the majority of the Vatican work force reside outside the Vatican and are citizens of Italy, while a few are citizens of other nations. As a result, all of the City's actual citizens are Catholic. Catholicism is the state religion. All the places of worship inside Vatican City are Catholic.

The Vatican has no set official language, it can be changed at any moment by the current Pope.^[15] The language most often used for the authoritative version of official documents of the Catholic Church or emanating from the Pope is Latin. However, Italian and, to a lesser extent, other languages are generally used for most conversations, publications, and broadcasts and most documents or other communications dealing directly with the Vatican as a state are most easily available in Italian. German is the official language of the Swiss Guard.^{[citation needed]} The Vatican's official website languages are Italian, German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Citizenship

Citizenship of the Vatican City is granted ius officii, which means it is conferred upon some of those who have been appointed to work in certain capacities at the Vatican, and it is usually revoked upon the termination of their employment. During the period of employment citizenship may also be extended to a Vatican citizen's spouse (unless the marriage is annulled or dissolved, or if a conjugal separation is decreed) and children (until they turn 25 if they are capable of working, or in the case of daughters, if they marry).^{[citation needed]} Terms of citizenship are defined in the Lateran Treaty, and laws concerning the creation of the Vatican state in 1929 sought to restrict the number of people who could be granted Vatican citizenship. The only passports issued by the Vatican are diplomatic passports.^[2]

As of 31 December 2005 there were 558 people with Vatican citizenship, of whom 246 are dual-citizens of other countries (the majority being Italian). The Lateran Treaty provides that in the event a Vatican citizen has his or her original nationality revoked and also loses Vatican citizenship, he or she will be automatically granted Italian citizenship.^[2]

Among the 558 were: ^[16]

• The Pope;
• 58 cardinals;
• 293 members of the clergy who serve as diplomatic envoys abroad;
• 62 lesser-ranking clergy members who work in the Vatican;
• 101 officers, NCOs, and men of the Papal Swiss Guard; and
• 43 lay persons.

Foreign relations

Main article: Holy See

Providing a territorial identity for the Holy See, Vatican City State is a recognized national territory under international law. However, it is the Holy See that is the legal body that conducts diplomatic relations for the Vatican City in addition to the Holy See's usual diplomacy, entering into international agreements and both receiving and sending diplomatic representatives. Because of the very limited territory of the Vatican state, foreign embassies to the Holy See are located in the Italian part of Rome; Italy actually hosts its own Embassy of Italy.

The Holy See is currently the only European political entity that has formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).^[17]

Despite its minuscule size, as the veritable headquarters of the Catholic Church, the Vatican's influence on world affairs is disproportionately immense by virtue of its moral and spiritual authority^[18].

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Vatican City

The Vatican City is itself of great cultural significance. Buildings such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to some of the most famous art in the world, which includes works by artists such as Botticelli, Bernini and Michelangelo. The Vatican Library and the collections of the Vatican Museums are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance. In 1984, the Vatican was added by UNESCO to the List of World Heritage Sites; it is the only one to consist of an entire country. Furthermore, it is the only site to date registered with the UNESCO as a centre containing monuments in the "International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection" according to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Crime

As a result of the Vatican having a small resident population, but millions of visitors every year, the state has the highest per capita crime rate of any nation on earth, more than twenty times higher than that of Italy.^[19] In his 2002 report to the pontifical court, Chief Prosecutor Nicola Picardi quoted statistics of 397 civil offenses and 608 penal offenses. Each year, hundreds of tourists fall victim to pickpockets and purse snatchers. The perpetrators, Italian rather than Vatican citizens, are rarely caught, with 90% of crimes remaining unsolved.^[19]

The Vatican police force is the Corpo della Gendarmeria.

As per the 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, the Italian government handles the prosecution and detention of criminal suspects.

The most recent murders to occur in the Vatican were in 1998, when a member of the Swiss Guard killed the Commander of the Guard and the Commander's wife before committing suicide.^[20]

The Vatican abolished capital punishment in 1969, but its last execution was performed by its predecessor, the Papal States on the 9 July 1870 at Palestrina, when Agabito (or Agapito) Bellomo was decapitated (probably by guillotine) for murder.^[21]

Transport and communications

Main article: Transport in the Vatican City

The Vatican City has no airports. There is one heliport and an 852 metre (932 yd) long standard gauge (1435 mm or 4 ft 8½ in) railway that connects to Italy's network at Rome's Saint Peter's station. The station building by architect Giuseppe Momo was constructed during the reign of Pius XI after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaty and opened in 1933 but now houses exhibits. The railway was originally planned to transport pilgrims, as was intended during the reign of Pius XI, but has only been rarely used to transport passengers. Pope John XXIII was the first to make use of the railway, and Pope John Paul II was known to have used it as well, albeit very rarely. The railway is mainly used only to transport freight. Rome's metro line A passes about 10 minutes walk north of the Vatican.^[22]

The City is served by an independent, modern telephone system^[23] and post office. A bit of conventional wisdom in Rome is that international mail dropped in a mailbox in the Vatican will reach its destination more quickly than one dropped only a few hundred metres away in an Italian mailbox. To quote an article from the New York Times on June 27, 2004:

"As a result, more mail is sent each year, per inhabitant, from the Vatican's 00120 post code than from anywhere else in the world — 7,200, compared with about 660 in the United States or 109 in Italy — said Juliana Nel, a spokeswoman for the Universal Postal Union, a United Nations agency based in Berne, Switzerland.

She called the Vatican's service "probably one of the best postal systems in the world."^[24]

People sending mail to the Vatican are advised not to write anything other than Vatican City State for the destination on the envelope. The reason for this is that this enables mail to be sent directly to the Vatican — otherwise, it would go through the postal systems of other countries, which would cause a delay in shipment to the Vatican. The Vatican has an official website, radio station, and satellite TV channels.

One lucrative source of income for the state is a two-pump petrol station where authorized Italians can buy fuel at prices up to 30% lower than in Italy, because the gas is not taxed. However, only people with special residence or work permits may use the station.^[25]

See also

• Borgo (rione of Rome)
• Flag of the Vatican City
• Holy See
• Military of the Vatican City
• Music of the Vatican City
• Pope Benedict XVI
• Catholic Church
• Scouting in Vatican City

References

External links

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• The Holy See — The Vatican's Official Website
  • Vatican City official website
  • Vatican Radio station
  • Vatican TV
• CIA — The World Factbook — Holy See (Vatican City)
• Detailed map of Vatican City
• Encyclopaedia Britannica's Vatican City page
• History of Vatican City: Primary Documents
• Lateran Pacts of 1929
  • Agreement Between the Italian Republic and the Holy See, 18 Feb. 1984
• Piazza San Pietro in Vaticano Virtual Tour with map and compass effect by Tolomeus
• The Pope's Walls
• stpetersbasilica.org Largest online source for St. Peter's in the Vatican
• UNESCO site
• Vatican Philatelic Society Premier online source of information about Vatican City postage stamps
• Vatican Secret Archive
• Walls of Rome
• Vatican City travel guide from Wikitravel
• World Heritage Site

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.903° 12.452°
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Aerial image from TerraServer
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia

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