The Vatican

Mr. Pablo CuadraReligion Class

What is the Vatican?

•The Vatican is acity Stateand thespiritual and temporal headquarter of the Roman and Eastern CatholicChurches under the sovereign ruleof the Roman Pontiff or Pope.•The official name for the Vatican is:“Stato della Citta del Vaticano”•The ecclesiastical, governmentaland diplomatic entity of the Vaticanis known as theHoly See.

Where is the Vatican Located?

•The Vatican is one of the oldestEuropean city state, landlocked, inan enclave within the city of Rome,Italy.•The Vatican enjoys extra-territorialprivileges in 28 different places inthe Republic of Italy, includedamong these: the Pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo andthe patriarchal basilicas.•These extra-territorial privilegesare similar to those enjoyed byforeign embassies in a hostcountry.