Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory
consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the capital city
of Italy.
It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a
population of just over 800.
Since it is governed by the Bishop of Rome
(the Pope), its government can be described as ecclesiastical, and the
highest state functionaries are clergymen.
Vatican City was established in 1929. It is distinct from the central
authority of the Roman Catholic Church, known as the Holy See, which
existed long before 1929.
Ordinances of Vatican City are published in
Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin.
The two entities even have distinct passports: The Holy See, not being a
country, only issues diplomatic and service passports; the state of
Vatican City issues normal passports. In both cases the passports issued
are very few.
Vatican City has its own constitution, postal system, seal, flag, and
other symbols of statehood.
It also has its own army, the Swiss Guard,
numbering about 100 soldiers. Vatican Radio is the official radio
station, and powerful transmitters beam “the Pope’s Voice” to a global
audience.
Vatican City is the last remnant of the Papal States, a swath of
territories in central Italy acquired over the centuries by the Catholic
Church and governed by the Pope.
We congratulate the people of Vatican City and His Holiness, Pope
Benedict XVI, H.E., President of the Government Giovanni Lajolo, and
Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, on
the occasion of its National Day.
We wish them all the best and success
in all their endeavors.
SIC: MB/EU