"text":"Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid-19th century, when the newly established Kingdom of Italy seized many of the Papal States. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between Italy and a series of \"prisoner\" popes were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified some of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. <br><br>Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, threats against minority Christian communities in Africa and the Middle East, the plight of refugees and migrants, climate change and the environment, conflict and war, nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, sexual misconduct by clergy, humanitarian issues, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1.3 billion people worldwide profess Catholicism, the world's largest Christian faith."
"text":"<br>L'Almanacco dei fatti del mondo, l'indispensabile fonte per le informazioni di base. (Italian)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"\"holy\" comes from the Greek word <em>hera</em>, meaning \"sacred\"; \"see\" comes from the Latin word <em>sedes</em>, meaning \"seat,\" and refers to the episcopal chair; the name Vatican derives from the hill Mons Vaticanus on which the Vatican is located and which comes from the Latin <em>vates </em>(prophet), referring to the fortune tellers and soothsayers who frequented the area in Roman times"
"text":"the name derives from the hill called Mons Vaticanus, on which the Vatican is located and which comes from the Latin <em>vates </em>(prophet), referring to the fortune tellers and soothsayers who frequented the area in Roman times"
"text":"previous 1929, 2000; latest issued by Pope FRANCIS 13 May 2023, effective 7 June 2023 (Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, the main governing document of the Vatican's civil entities); the Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus – the departments and ministries – used by the pontiff in governing the church"
"text":"although the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State makes no mention of amendments, Article Four (drafting laws), states that this legislative responsibility resides with the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State; draft legislation is submitted through the Secretariat of State and considered by the pope"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> in the Holy See, citizenship is acquired by law, ex iure, or by adminstrative decision; in the first instance, citizenship is a function of holding office within the Holy See as in the case of cardinals resident in Vatican City or diplomats of the Holy See; in the second instance, citizenship may be requested in a limited set of circumstances for those who reside within Vatican City under papal authorization, as a function of their office or service, or as the spouses and children of current citizens; citizenship is lost once an individual no longer permanently resides in Vatican City, normally reverting to the citizenship previously held"
"text":"President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City and President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State Fernando VERGEZ ALZAGA (since 1 October 2021)"
"text":"Supreme Court or Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (consists of the cardinal prefect, who serves as ex-officio president of the court, and 2 other cardinals of the Prefect Signatura)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the Motu Proprio (papal directive) of Pope PIUS XII established judicial duties on 1 May 1946; most Vatican City criminal matters are handled by the Republic of Italy courts"
"text":"CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNWTO (observer), UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"11 February 1929",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged the full sovereignty of the Holy See and established its territorial extent, but the origin of the Papal States, which over centuries varied considerably in extent, can be traced back to A.D. 754"
"text":"<strong>description:</strong> two vertical bands of yellow (left side) and white, with the arms of the Holy See centered in the white band; the arms show the crossed keys of Saint Peter under the three-tiered papal tiara<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> yellow stands for the pope's spiritual power, and white for his worldly power"
"text":"Historic Center of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura; Vatican City"
"text":"limited, tourism-based economy; euro user with own minted coins; produces commemorative stamps, coins, and publications to support museums and religious needs; residents pay no direct taxes; “zero deficit” plan to address budget shortfall"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong>while not an EU member state, the Holy See has a 2000 monetary agreement with Italy and the EU to produce limited euro coinage—but not banknotes—that began enforcement in January 2002"
"text":"the Vatican Television Center (CTV) transmits live broadcasts of the Pope's weekly audiences, as well as his public celebrations; CTV also produces documentaries; Vatican Radio is the official broadcasting service via shortwave, AM, and FM frequencies, as well as satellite and web; Vatican News website partners with Vatican Radio and provides Catholic news from the Vatican (2021)"
"text":"the Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) serves as the de facto military force of Vatican City; the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City (Corpo della Gendarmeriais) is a police force that helps augment the Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps during the Pope’s appearances, as well as providing general security, traffic direction, and investigative duties for the Vatican City State (2025)",
"text":"Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps: 19-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; must be a single Roman Catholic male with Swiss citizenship who has completed basic training with the Swiss military and can obtain a certificate of good conduct; qualified candidates must apply to serve; the service contract is between 2 and 25 years (2025)"
