Vatican City

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Vatican City
Vatican.gif
Flag of Vatican City
Capital Vatican City
Inhabitants 829
Language(s) Italian
map of the Vatican City

Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy 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 Vatican and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

Contents

History

The Vatican City State, sovereign and independent, is the survivor of the papal states that in 1859 comprised an area of some 17,000 sq mi (44,030 sq km). During the struggle for Italian unification, from 1860 to 1870, most of this area became part of Italy. By an Italian law of May 13, 1871, the temporal power of the pope was abrogated, and the territory of the papacy was confined to the Vatican and Lateran palaces and the villa of Castel Gandolfo. The popes consistently refused to recognize this arrangement. The Lateran Treaty of Feb. 11, 1929, between the Vatican and the kingdom of Italy established the autonomy of the Holy See.

The first session of Ecumenical Council Vatican II was opened by John XXIII on Oct. 11, 1962, to plan and set policies for the modernization of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI continued the council, presiding over the last three sessions. Vatican II, as it is called, revolutionized some of the church's practices. Power was decentralized, giving bishops a larger role, the liturgy was vernacularized, and laymen were given a larger part in church affairs.

On Aug. 26, 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani was chosen by the College of Cardinals to succeed Paul VI, who had died of a heart attack on Aug. 6. The new pope took the name John Paul I. Only 34 days after his election, John Paul I died of a heart attack, ending the shortest reign in 373 years. On Oct. 16, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, 58, was chosen pope and took the name John Paul II. Pope John Paul II became the first Polish pope and the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century. His rule has been characterized by conservatism regarding church doctrine. He has been the Vatican's greatest ambassador, traveling to more than 115 countries.

On May 13, 1981, a Turkish terrorist shot the pope in St. Peter's Square, the first assassination attempt against the pontiff in modern times. On June 3, 1985, the Vatican and Italy ratified a new church-state treaty, known as a concordat, replacing the Lateran Pact of 1929. The new accord affirmed the independence of Vatican City but ended a number of privileges the Catholic Church had in Italy, including its status as the state religion. The treaty ended Rome's status as a “sacred city.”

In March 2000, the pope issued an apology for sins committed by Catholics over the past 2,000 years, including religious persecutions and discrimination against women. Several groups criticized the vagueness of the apology, wishing the pope had specified the church's particularly egregious sins.

The pope remained circumspect about the U.S. church's sexual abuse scandals in 2002, calling pedophilia an “appalling sin” and describing the crisis as “a dark shadow of suspicion . . .cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice.”

Culture

Vatican City is the historic centre of Western Civilization. You need not be a confirmed Catholic to be drawn to the Holy See. Art lovers and historians will find almost as much to venerate. The Vatican Museums are a treasure trove of ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Syrian relics, plus Renaissance painting, sculpture and tapestries.

The architecture is spectacular, too: St Peter's Basilica, the Raphael Stanze and, of course, the Sistine Chapel, complete with Michelangelo's immortal ceiling, plus important works by Botticelli.

Events

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National holidays

  • Jan 1: New Year's Day
  • Jan 6: Epiphany
  • Apr 25: Anniversary of the Liberation
  • May 1: Labor Day
  • Jun 2: Foundation of the Italian Republic
  • Jun 29: St. Peter and St. Paul's Day
  • Aug 15: Assumption Day
  • Nov 1: All Saints' Day
  • Dec 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
  • Dec 25: Christmas Day
  • Dec 26: St. Stephen's Day
  • Easter Monday

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