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The Vatican
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.
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. 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.
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 Alois Ratzinger in Bavaria, 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 XVI in
September 2006.
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. 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. 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).
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 of Vatican City has a unique structure. The Pope is the sovereign of
the state. Legislative authority is vested in a commission of cardinals
appointed by the Pope for five-year periods. Executive power is in the hands of
the President of that commission, assisted by the General Secretary and Deputy
General Secretary. The state's foreign relations are entrusted to the Secretariat of State.
There are specific departments that deal with health, security,
telecommunications, etc.
The Cardinal Camerlengo heads
the Apostolic Chamber to which is entrusted the administration of the property
and the protection of the temporal rights of the Holy See during a sede vacante (papal vacancy). Acting with
three other cardinals chosen by lot every three days, one from each order of
cardinals (cardinal bishop, cardinal priest, and cardinal deacon), he in a sense
performs during that period the functions of head of state. All the decisions
these four cardinals take must be approved by the College of
Cardinals as a whole.
The nobility that was closely associated with the Holy See at the time of the
Papal States continued to be associated with the Papal Court after the loss of
these territories, generally with merely nominal duties (see Papal Master of the
Horse, Prefecture of the Pontifical
Household, Hereditary Officers of the
Roman Curia, Black
Nobility). They also formed the ceremonial Noble Guard. In the first decades
of the existence of the Vatican City State, executive functions were entrusted
to some of them, including that of Delegate for the State of Vatican City (now
denominated President of the Commission for Vatican City). But with the motu
proprio Pontificalis Domus of 28 March 1968,[8] Pope Paul VI abolished the
honorary positions that had continued to exist until then, such as Quartermaster
General and Master of the Horse.
The State of the Vatican City, created in 1929 by the Lateran Pacts, provides the Holy See with a temporal jurisdiction and independence
within a small territory. It is distinct from the Holy See. The state can thus
be deemed a significant but not essential instrument of the Holy See. The Holy
See itself has existed continuously as a juridical entity since Roman Imperial
times and has been internationally recognized as a powerful and independent
sovereign (at times even suzerain)
entity since late antiquity to the present, without interruption even at times
when it was deprived of territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929). The Holy See has the
oldest active continuous diplomatic service in the world, dating back to at
least AD 325 with its legation to the Council of Nicea.[10] Ambassadors are accredited
to the Holy See, never to the Vatican City State.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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. Because of
their rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors. 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).
Almost all of Vatican City's 821 (July 2007 est.) 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. 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
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.
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.[21] 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.
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.
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.
Source: Wikipedia.org
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