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89-671: The Passetto di Borgo , or simply Passetto , is an elevated passage that links the Vatican City with the Castel Sant'Angelo . It is an approximately 800-metre-long (2,600 ft) corridor, located in the rione of Borgo . It was erected in 1277 by Pope Nicholas III , but parts of the wall were built by Totila during the Gothic War . On at least two occasions it served as an escape route for Popes in danger. Pope Alexander VI crossed it in 1494, when Charles VIII invaded
178-787: A body of cardinals appointed by the Pope for five-year periods, executive power is exercised by the president of that commission (who is consequently also the President of the Governorate), assisted by the General Secretary and the Deputy General Secretary. The state's foreign relations are entrusted to the Holy See's Secretariat of State and diplomatic service. Nevertheless, the Pope has absolute power in
267-469: A juridical entity since Roman Imperial times and has been internationally recognised as a powerful and independent sovereign entity since Late Antiquity to the present, without interruption even at times when it was deprived of territory (e.g. 1870 to 1929). Vatican City is one of the few widely recognised independent states that has not become a member of the United Nations . The Holy See, which
356-698: A particular Church". "Church or rite" is also used as a single heading in the United States Library of Congress classification of works. Historically, the governing entity of the Latin Church (i.e. the Holy See ) has been viewed as one of the five patriarchates of the Pentarchy of early Christianity , along with the patriarchates of Constantinople , Alexandria , Antioch , and Jerusalem . Due to geographic and cultural considerations,
445-503: A population of about 764, it is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population . It is also the second-least populated capital in the world. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal - monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church . The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. After
534-559: A schism which was not analogous since it was not based upon the same historical factors and involved far more profound theological dissent from the teaching of the totality of previously existing historical Christian churches. Until 2005, the pope claimed the title " patriarch of the West "; Benedict XVI set aside this title. Following the Islamic conquests , the Crusades were launched by
623-583: A secular role as governors of regions near Rome. They ruled the Papal States , which covered a large portion of the Italian peninsula , for more than a thousand years until the mid-19th century, when all the territory belonging to the papacy was seized by the newly created Kingdom of Italy . For most of this time, the popes did not live at the Vatican. The Lateran Palace , on the opposite side of Rome,
712-511: A statute of the Kingdom of Sardinia of 1848. Construction in 1995 of a new guest house, Domus Sanctae Marthae , adjacent to St Peter's Basilica was criticized by Italian environmental groups, backed by Italian politicians. They claimed the new building would block views of the Basilica from nearby Italian apartments. For a short while the plans strained the relations between the Vatican and
801-533: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vatican City Vatican City ( / ˈ v æ t ɪ k ə n ˈ s ɪ t i / ), officially the Vatican City State ( Italian : Stato della Città del Vaticano ; Latin : Status Civitatis Vaticanae ), is a sovereign country , city-state , microstate , and enclave surrounded by, and historically a part of, Rome , Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with
890-865: Is also known as the Western Church ( Latin : Ecclesia Occidentalis ). It is also known as the Roman Church ( Latin : Ecclesia Romana ), the Latin Catholic Church , and in some contexts as the Roman Catholic Church (though this name can also refer to the Catholic Church as a whole). One of the pope's traditional titles in some eras and contexts has been the Patriarch of the West . The Latin Church
979-583: Is distinct from Vatican City State, has permanent observer status , with all the rights of a full member except for a vote in the UN General Assembly . The government of Vatican City has a unique structure. As governed by the Holy See, the Pope is the sovereign of the state, but he is supported by different bodies. While legislative authority is also managed, in the Pope's name, by the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State ,
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#17327762240101068-603: Is in this territory that 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 river Tiber, the area was an outcrop of the city that was protected by being included within the walls of Leo IV (847–855), and later expanded by
1157-488: Is necessarily a member of a particular church. A person also inherits, or "is of", a particular patrimony or rite. Since the rite has liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary elements, a person is also to worship, to be catechized, to pray and to be governed according to a particular rite. Particular churches that inherit and perpetuate a particular patrimony are identified by the metonymy "church" or "rite". Accordingly, "Rite" has been defined as "a division of
1246-489: Is no general public access to the gardens, but guided tours for small groups can be arranged to the gardens and excavations under the basilica . Other places are open to only those individuals who have business to transact there. Vatican City's climate is the same as Rome's: a temperate , Mediterranean climate Csa with mild, rainy winters from October to mid-May and hot, dry summers from May to September. Some minor local features, principally mists and dews, are caused by
1335-681: Is one of 24 churches sui iuris in full communion with the pope ; the other 23 are collectively referred to as the Eastern Catholic Churches , and have approximately 18 million members combined. The Latin Church is directly headed by the pope in his role as the bishop of Rome , whose cathedra as a bishop is located in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome , Italy . The Latin Church both developed within and strongly influenced Western culture ; as such, it
1424-517: Is referred to as the Gallican Rite, used in Gaulish or Frankish territories. This was a conglomeration of varying forms, not unlike the present Hispano-Mozarabic Rite in its general structures, but never strictly codified and which from at least the seventh century was gradually infiltrated, and then eventually for the most part replaced, by liturgical texts and forms which had their origin in
1513-769: Is the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State , who since 1952 exercises the functions previously belonging to the Governor of Vatican City . Since 2001, the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also has the title of president of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City. The president is Spanish Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga , who was appointed on 1 October 2021. Legislative functions are administered by
1602-399: Is the mind of the Catholic Church that each individual Church or Rite should retain its traditions whole and entire and likewise that it should adapt its way of life to the different needs of time and place" and spoke of patriarchs and of "major archbishops, who rule the whole of some individual Church or Rite". It thus used the word "Rite" as "a technical designation of what may now be called
1691-666: The Circus Gaii et Neronis , usually called, simply, the Circus of Nero . The Vatican obelisk in St. Peter's Square is the last visible remnant from the Circus of Nero . It was brought from Heliopolis in Egypt by Emperor Caligula . The obelisk originally stood at the centre of the spina ( median ) of the Roman circus . The circus became the site of martyrdom for many Christians after
1780-514: The Allied invasion of Sicily , 500 United States Army Air Forces aircraft bombed Rome on 19 July 1943 , targeting the city's railway hub in particular. Approximately 1,500 people were killed, and Pius XII, who had been described in the previous month as "worried sick" about the possibility of Rome being bombed, toured the affected areas. Another Allied bombing raid took place on 13 August 1943, after Mussolini had been ousted from power . On
1869-702: The Archdiocese of Milan , in Italy , and much closer in form, though not specific content, to the Roman Rite; and the Carthusian Rite , practised within the strict Carthusian monastic Order , which also employs in general terms forms similar to the Roman Rite, but with a number of significant divergences which have adapted it to the distinctive way of life of the Carthusians. There once existed what
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#17327762240101958-582: The Avignon Papacy (1309–1377) the popes have mainly resided at the Apostolic Palace within what is now Vatican City, although at times residing instead in the Quirinal Palace in Rome or elsewhere. The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see of the Catholic Church, which has approximately 1.329 billion baptised Catholics in the world as of 2018 in
2047-720: The Dominican rite, and perhaps still other rites of which I am not aware. Today, the most common Latin liturgical rites are the Roman Rite —either the post- Vatican II Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and revised by Pope John Paul II in 2002 (the "Ordinary Form" ), or the 1962 form of the Tridentine Mass (the "Extraordinary Form"); the Ambrosian Rite ; the Mozarabic Rite ; and variations of
2136-732: The Etruscan city of Veii (another naming for the Ager Vaticanus was Ripa Veientana or Ripa Etrusca ), and for being subjected to the floods of the Tiber , the Romans considered this originally uninhabited part of Rome dismal and ominous. The particularly low quality of Vatican wine, even after the reclamation of the area, was commented on by the poet Martial ( AD 40 – c. AD 102). Tacitus wrote that in AD ;69,
2225-624: The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. Tradition states that it was in this circus that Saint Peter was crucified upside-down . In 1586, the obelisk was relocated to its current position by Pope Sixtus V using a method devised by Italian architect Domenico Fontana . 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
2314-581: The Lateran Treaty , and is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, which is itself a sovereign entity under international law , maintaining the city-state's temporal power , governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Vatican is also a metonym for the pope , the Holy See, and the Roman Curia . With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and as of 2023
2403-518: The Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches . The independent state of Vatican City, on the other hand, came into existence on 11 February 1929 by the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870), which had previously encompassed much of Central Italy . Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica ,
2492-804: The Latin liturgical rites on 24 October 1998: Several forms of the Latin rite have always existed, and were only slowly withdrawn, as a result of the coming together of the different parts of Europe. Before the Council there existed, side by side with the Roman rite , the Ambrosian rite , the Mozarabic rite of Toledo , the rite of Braga , the Carthusian rite , the Carmelite rite, and best known of all,
2581-548: The Latin liturgical rites , of which the Roman Rite is predominant. The Latin liturgical rites are contrasted with the liturgical rites of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches defines the use within that code of the words "church" and "rite". In accordance with these definitions of usage within the code that governs the Eastern Catholic Churches ,
2670-547: The Pope but also delegated to the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State , led by the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State . Its members are cardinals appointed by the Pope for terms of five years. Acts of the commission must be approved by the Pope, through the Holy See's Secretariat of State , and must be published in a special appendix of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis . Most of
2759-620: The Renaissance and Baroque era, are decorated with fountains and sculptures. The gardens cover approximately 23 hectares (57 acres). The highest point is 60 metres (197 ft) above mean sea level . Stone walls bound the area in the north, south, and west. The gardens date back to medieval times when orchards and vineyards extended to the north of the Papal Apostolic Palace . In 1279, Pope Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277–1280) moved his residence back to
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2848-484: The Renaissance until it was systematically excavated by orders of Pope Pius XII from 1939 to 1941. The Constantinian basilica was built in 326 over what was believed to be the tomb of Saint Peter , buried in that cemetery. From then on, the land mass became more populated in connection with activity at the basilica. A palace was constructed nearby as early as the 5th century during the pontificate of Pope Symmachus (reigned 498 – 514 ). Popes gradually came to have
2937-513: The Roman Empire , many villas were constructed there, after Agrippina the Elder (14 BC – 18 October AD 33) drained the area and laid out her gardens in the early 1st century AD. In AD 40, her son, Emperor Caligula (31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41; r. 37–41) built in her gardens a circus for charioteers (AD 40) that was later completed by Nero ,
3026-577: The Sistine Chapel , the Vatican Apostolic Library , and the Vatican Museums . They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from Catholic believers, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications. Vatican City has no taxes, and items are duty-free. The name Vatican City
3115-526: The Swiss Guard , was disbanded by the will of Paul VI , as expressed in a letter of 14 September 1970. The Gendarmerie Corps was transformed into a civilian police and security force. In 1984, a new concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain provisions of the earlier treaty, including the position of Catholic Christianity as the Italian state religion, a position given to it by
3204-678: The Year of the Four Emperors , when the northern army that brought Vitellius to power arrived in Rome, "a large proportion camped in the unhealthy districts of the Vatican, which resulted in many deaths among the common soldiery; and the Tiber being close by, the inability of the Gauls and Germans to bear the heat and the consequent greed with which they drank from the stream weakened their bodies, which were already an easy prey to disease". During
3293-632: The early modern period and subsequently, the Latin Church carried out evangelizing missions to the Americas , and from the late modern period to Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia . The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century resulted in Protestantism breaking away, resulting in the fragmentation of Western Christianity , including not only Protestant offshoots of the Latin Church, but also smaller groups of 19th-century break-away Independent Catholic denominations . The historical part of
3382-411: The one true church as defined by the Four Marks of the Church in Catholic ecclesiology . The approximately 18 million Eastern Catholics represent a minority of Christians in communion with the pope, compared to well over 1 billion Latin Catholics. Additionally, there are roughly 250 million Eastern Orthodox and 86 million Oriental Orthodox around the world that are not in union with Rome. Unlike
3471-406: The vernacular . The predominant liturgical rite is the Roman Rite , elements of which have been practiced since the fourth century. There exist and have existed since ancient times additional Latin liturgical rites and uses , including the currently used Mozarabic Rite in restricted use in Spain, the Ambrosian Rite in parts of Italy, and the Anglican Use in the personal ordinariates . In
3560-406: The Bishop of Rome and the Latin Church, following various theological and jurisdictional disputes in the centuries following the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. These included notably the Nestorian Schism (431–544) ( Church of the East ), Chalcedonian Schism (451) ( Oriental Orthodoxy ), and the East-West Schism (1054) ( Eastern Orthodoxy ). The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century saw
3649-411: The British from bombing Rome if the British so decided". The US military even exempted Catholic servicemembers from air raids on Rome and other areas with a significant Catholic presence, unless they voluntarily agreed to participate. Notably, with the exception of Rome, and presumably the possibility of the Vatican, no Catholic US servicemember refused a mission within German-held Italy. On the other hand,
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3738-407: The British insisted "they would bomb Rome whenever the needs of the war demanded". In December 1942, the British envoy to the Holy See suggested that Rome be declared an open city , a suggestion that the Holy See took more seriously than was probably meant by the envoy, who did not want Rome to be an open city, but Mussolini rejected the suggestion when the Holy See put it to him. In connection with
3827-476: The Catholic Church as the names of Catholic titular sees , irrespective of the question of liturgical families. In the Catholic Church, in addition to the Latin Church—directly headed by the pope as Latin patriarch and notable within Western Christianity for its sacred tradition and seven sacraments — there are 23 Eastern Catholic Churches , self-governing particular churches sui iuris with their own hierarchies. Most of these churches trace their origins to
3916-467: The Catholic Church in the West is called the Latin Church to distinguish itself from the Eastern Catholic Churches which are also under the pope's primacy . In historical context, before the East–West Schism in 1054 the Latin Church is sometimes referred to as the Western Church . Writers belonging to various Protestant denominations sometime use the term Western Church as an implicit claim to legitimacy. The term Latin Catholic refers to followers of
4005-428: The Catholic Church; they may continue as married priests. In the Latin Church, a married man may not be admitted even to the diaconate unless he is legitimately destined to remain a deacon and not become a priest. Marriage after ordination is not possible, and attempting it can result in canonical penalties. The Eastern Catholic Churches, unlike the Latin Church, have a married clergy. At the present time, Bishops in
4094-420: The Christian Church using a distinctive liturgy", or simply as "a Christian Church". In this sense, "Rite" and "Church" are treated as synonymous, as in the glossary prepared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and revised in 1999, which states that each "Eastern-rite (Oriental) Church ... is considered equal to the Latin rite within the Church". The Second Vatican Council likewise stated that "it
4183-450: The Holy See during the period of the empty throne or sede vacante (papal vacancy). Those of the Vatican State remain under the control of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State . 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 of Vatican City. All
4272-415: The Italian government. The head of the Vatican's Department of Technical Services robustly rejected challenges to the Vatican State's right to build within its borders. John R. Morss writes in the European Journal of International Law that due to the terms of the Lateran Treaty, Vatican City's status as a sovereign state, and the Pope 's status as a head of state, are problematic. The name "Vatican"
4361-421: The Latin Church are generally appointed by the pope after hearing the advice of the various dicasteries of the Roman Curia , specifically the Congregation for Bishops , the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (for countries in its care), the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State (for appointments that require the consent or prior notification of civil governments), and
4450-456: The Latin Church is one such group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy and recognized by the supreme authority of the Catholic Church as a sui iuris particular Church. The "Latin Rite" is the whole of the patrimony of that distinct particular church, by which it manifests its own manner of living the faith, including its own liturgy, its theology, its spiritual practices and traditions and its canon law. A Catholic, as an individual person,
4539-443: The Latin Church, the pope does not exercise a direct patriarchal role over the Eastern Catholic churches and their faithful, instead encouraging their internal hierarchies, which while separate from that of the Latin Church and function analogously to it, and follow the traditions shared with the corresponding Eastern Christian churches in Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) described
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#17327762240104628-440: The Pope's holdings were left in an uncertain situation when Rome itself was annexed by Italian forces, thus bringing to completion the Italian unification , after a nominal resistance by the papal forces. Between 1861 and 1929 the status of the Pope was referred to as the "Roman Question". Italy made no attempt to interfere with the Holy See within the Vatican walls. However, it confiscated church property in many places. In 1871,
4717-407: The Pope's spiritual and pastoral governance, largely exercised through the Roman Curia . His official title with regard to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City . Pope Francis , born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires , Argentina, was elected on 13 March 2013. His principal subordinate government official for Vatican City as well as the country's head of government
4806-408: The Quirinal Palace was confiscated by the King of Italy and became the royal palace. Thereafter, the popes resided undisturbed within the Vatican walls, and certain papal prerogatives were recognised by the Law of Guarantees , including the right to send and receive ambassadors. But the Popes did not recognise the Italian king's right to rule in Rome, and they refused to leave the Vatican compound until
4895-423: 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, Pope Paul VI abolished
4984-422: The Roman Rite (such as the Anglican Use ). The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches employ five different families of liturgical rites. The Latin liturgical rites are used only in a single sui iuris particular church. Of other liturgical families, the main survivors are what is now referred to officially as the Hispano-Mozarabic Rite , still in restricted use in Spain; the Ambrosian Rite , centred geographically on
5073-406: The State of Vatican City, which is a rare case of a non-hereditary monarchy. The Vatican City State, 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
5162-408: The Vatican City's status as neutral territory . One of the main diplomatic priorities of Pius XII was to prevent the bombing of the city; a high level of sensitivity led him to protest even the dropping of pamphlets over Rome by the Royal Air Force , claiming that the few which landed within the Vatican City violated its neutrality. The British government's policy towards the Vatican, as expressed in
5251-425: The Vatican from the Lateran Palace and enclosed this area with walls. He planted an orchard ( pomerium ), a lawn ( pratellum ), and a garden ( viridarium ). The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of an absolute elective monarchy and being governed by the Holy See , in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over
5340-415: The West from 1095 to 1291 in order to defend Christians and their properties in the Holy Land against persecution . In the long term the Crusaders did not succeed in re-establishing political and military control of Palestine, which like former Christian North Africa and the rest of the Middle East remained under Islamic control. The names of many former Christian dioceses of this vast area are still used by
5429-430: The anomalous bulk of St Peter's Basilica, the elevation, the fountains, and the size of the large paved square. The highest temperature ever recorded was 40.8 °C (105.4 °F), on 28 June 2022. In July 2007, the Vatican accepted a proposal by two firms based respectively in San Francisco and Budapest , whereby it would become the first carbon neutral state by offsetting its carbon dioxide emissions with
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#17327762240105518-402: The boundary, and for a small part of the frontier a modern wall was constructed. The territory includes St. Peter's Square , distinguished from the territory of Italy only by a white line along the limit of the square, where it touches Piazza Pio XII. St. Peter's Square is reached through the Via della Conciliazione which runs from close to the Tiber to St. Peter's. This grand approach
5607-419: The character and mission of the Holy See. Castel Gandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of Vatican City State and not by Italian police . According to the Lateran Treaty (Art. 3) St. Peter's Square, up to but not including the steps leading to the basilica, is normally patrolled by the Italian police. There are no passport controls for visitors entering Vatican City from
5696-434: The city and the pope's life was in peril. Clement VII escaped to safety through this passage during the Sack of Rome in 1527, when troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V , massacred almost the entire Swiss Guard on the steps of St Peter's Basilica . 41°54′12″N 12°27′42″E / 41.90333°N 12.46167°E / 41.90333; 12.46167 This article about an Italian building or structure
5785-421: The city is Città del Vaticano or, more formally, Stato della Città del Vaticano , meaning 'Vatican City State'. Its Latin name is Status Civitatis Vaticanae ; this is used in official documents by the Holy See , the Church and the Pope . The name "Vatican" was already in use in the time of the Roman Republic for the Ager Vaticanus , a marshy area on the west bank of the Tiber across from
5874-465: The city of Rome, located between the Janiculum , the Vatican Hill and Monte Mario , down to the Aventine Hill and up to the confluence of the Cremera creek. The toponym Ager Vaticanus is attested until the 1st century AD: afterwards, another toponym appeared, Vaticanus , denoting an area much more restricted: the Vatican Hill, today's St. Peter's Square , and possibly today's Via della Conciliazione . Because of its vicinity to Rome's archenemy,
5963-422: The construction of the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter in the first half of the 4th century. A shrine dedicated to the Phrygian goddess Cybele and her consort Attis remained active long after the ancient Basilica of St. Peter was built nearby. Remains of this ancient necropolis were brought to light sporadically during renovations by various popes throughout the centuries, increasing in frequency during
6052-414: The content of this appendix consists of routine executive decrees, such as approval for a new set of postage stamps. Latin Church God Schools Relations with: The Latin Church ( Latin : Ecclesia Latina ) is the largest autonomous ( sui iuris ) particular church within the Catholic Church , whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church
6141-517: The creation of a Vatican Climate Forest in Hungary, as a purely symbolic gesture to encourage Catholics to do more to safeguard the planet. Nothing came of the project. On 26 November 2008, the Vatican itself put into effect a plan announced in May 2007 to cover the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall with solar panels . Within the territory of Vatican City are the Vatican Gardens (Italian: Giardini Vaticani ), which account for about half of this territory. The gardens, established during
6230-430: The current fortification walls, built under Paul III (1534–1549), Pius IV (1559–1565), and Urban VIII (1623–1644). When the Lateran Treaty of 1929 that gave the state its form was being prepared, the boundaries of the proposed territory were 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
6319-413: 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
6408-770: The diocese of Rome. Other former "Rites" in past times practised in certain religious orders and important cities were in truth usually partial variants upon the Roman Rite and have almost entirely disappeared from current use, despite limited nostalgic efforts at revival of some of them and a certain indulgence by the Roman authorities. Jus novum ( c. 1140 -1563) Jus novissimum ( c. 1563 -1918) Jus codicis (1918-present) Other Sacraments Sacramentals Sacred places Sacred times Supra-diocesan/eparchal structures Particular churches Juridic persons Philosophy, theology, and fundamental theory of Catholic canon law Clerics Office Juridic and physical persons Associations of
6497-718: The dispute was resolved in 1929; Pope Pius IX (1846–1878), the last ruler of the Papal States, was referred to as a " prisoner in the Vatican ". Forced to give up secular power, the popes focused on spiritual issues. This situation was resolved on 11 February 1929, when the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy was signed by Prime Minister and Head of Government Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III and by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri for Pope Pius XI . The treaty, which became effective on 7 June 1929, established
6586-534: The executive, legislative, and judicial branches over Vatican City, and is thus the only absolute monarch in Europe. Operationally, there are departments that deal with health, security, telecommunications and other matters. The Cardinal Camerlengo presides over the Apostolic Camera , to which is entrusted the administration of the property and protection of other papal temporal powers and rights of
6675-555: The faithful Pars dynamica (trial procedure) Canonization Election of the Roman Pontiff Academic degrees Journals and Professional Societies Faculties of canon law Canonists Institute of consecrated life Society of apostolic life Canon law for the Latin Church is codified in the Code of Canon Law , of which there have been two codifications, the first promulgated by Pope Benedict XV in 1917 and
6764-685: The following day, the new Italian government declared Rome an open city, after consulting the Holy See on the wording of the declaration. Pius XII had refrained from creating cardinals during the war. By the end of World War II, there were several prominent vacancies: Cardinal Secretary of State , Camerlengo , Chancellor , and Prefect for the Congregation for the Religious among them. Pius XII created 32 cardinals in early 1946 , having announced his intention to do so in his preceding Christmas message. The Pontifical Military Corps , except for
6853-461: The honorary positions that had continued to exist until then, such as Quartermaster general and Master of the Horse . As Vatican City is governed by the Holy See , the Pope is ex officio head of state of Vatican City, a function dependent on his primordial function as bishop of the diocese of Rome and head of the Catholic Church . The term "Holy See" refers not to the Vatican state but to
6942-578: The independent state of Vatican City and reaffirmed the special status of Catholic Christianity in Italy. The Holy See, which governed the Vatican City, pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II under the leadership of Pope Pius XII . Although German troops occupied Rome after the September 1943 Armistice of Cassibile , with Allied forces pushing them out in 1944, both sides respected
7031-521: The latter patriarchates developed into churches with distinct Eastern Christian traditions. This scheme, tacitly at least accepted by Rome, is constructed from the viewpoint of Greek Christianity and does not take into consideration other churches of great antiquity which developed in the East outside the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The majority of Eastern Christian Churches broke full communion with
7120-537: The minutes of a Cabinet meeting, was "that we should on no account molest the Vatican City, but that our action as regards the rest of Rome would depend upon how far the Italian government observed the rules of war". After the United States entered into the war, US officials were against bombing the Vatican City, fearful of offending Catholic members of the American military , but said that "they could not stop
7209-429: The mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion." In the Eastern Churches these sacraments are usually administered immediately after baptism , even for an infant. Celibacy , as a consequence of the duty to observe perfect continence, is obligatory for priests in the Latin Church. An exception is made for married clergy from other churches, who join
7298-507: The other four patriarchates of the ancient pentarchy , but either never historically broke full communion or returned to it with the Papacy at some time. These differ from each other in liturgical rite (ceremonies, vestments, chants, language), devotional traditions, theology , canon law , and clergy , but all maintain the same faith, and all see full communion with the pope as bishop of Rome as essential to being Catholic as well as part of
7387-528: The second by Pope John Paul II in 1983. In the Latin Church, the norm for administration of confirmation is that, except when in danger of death, the person to be confirmed should "have the use of reason, be suitably instructed, properly disposed, and able to renew the baptismal promises", and "the administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand
7476-538: The surrounding Italian territory. There is free public access to Saint Peter's Square and Basilica and, on the occasion of papal general audiences, to the hall in which they are held. For these audiences and for major ceremonies in Saint Peter's Basilica and Square, tickets free of charge must be obtained beforehand. The Vatican Museums , incorporating the Sistine Chapel, usually charge an entrance fee. There
7565-830: Was already in use in the time of the Roman Republic for the Ager Vaticanus , a marshy area on the west bank of the Tiber across from the city of Rome, located between the Janiculum , the Vatican Hill and Monte Mario , down to the Aventine Hill and up to the confluence of the Cremera creek. The territory of Vatican City is part of the Vatican Hill, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields. It
7654-573: Was constructed by Benito 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 the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo and the major 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
7743-416: Was first used in the Lateran Treaty , signed on 11 February 1929, which established the modern city-state named after Vatican Hill , the geographic location of the state within the city of Rome . "Vatican" itself is derived from the name of an Etruscan settlement, Vatica or Vaticum , located in the general area the Romans called Ager Vaticanus , "Vatican territory". The Italian name of
7832-537: Was in full communion with what is referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East-West schism of Rome and Constantinople in 1054. From that time, but also before it, it became common to refer to Western Christians as Latins in contrast to Byzantines or Greeks . The Latin Church employs the Latin liturgical rites , which since the mid-20th century are very often translated into
7921-526: Was their habitual residence for about a thousand years. From 1309 to 1377, they lived at Avignon in France. On their return to Rome, they chose to live at the Vatican. They moved to the Quirinal Palace in 1583, after work on it was completed under Pope Paul V (1605–1621), but on the capture of Rome in 1870 retired to the Vatican, and what had been their residence became that of the King of Italy . In 1870 ,
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