Foundation
Founded on top of the main Mithraist temple, the Vatican inherited many of the beliefs, practices and liturgy of this religion. Paul of Tarsus, a gnostic Christian, came from Tarsus which was also a Mithraist center. Paul's letters are the earliest historical Christian documents that exist.
After its establishment in the Roman Empire, during the early stages of the collapse of that empire, the Catholic Church wiped out, murdered, burnt and silenced its gnostic competitors and with the support of the Roman empire went on to dominate Europe, signifying the start of the Dark Ages, the Ages of Faith.
Present day
The Catholic Church has 1 billion followers worldwide and is the biggest (by far) Christian organisation. It has observer voting rights in the UN. It strongly opposes gay rights, contraception, condom distribution, gay marriages and many other issues, and is for these reasons frequently at odds with the rest of Europe. The USA and Africa are its present bases of power and numbers.
A huge amount of technical and geographical information can be found on my "Vatican" page.
The Catholic Church is very much active in political power games across the world, and has wealth to back up continual large campaigns against points of view which disagree with its entrenched conservatism. One of the last bastions of racism, slavery and oppression, the Catholic Church is only really dragged into the modern world by its teeth. With its power and resources, it survives despite being widely scrutinized.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, points out that the head of the Catholic Church, Vatican City, is the only surviving theocracy in Europe. Theocracies, such as Islamic States like Iran and Afghanistan under the Taliban, have been as undemocratic as communist and fascist dictatorships. He notes that "the Catholic Church has happily allied itself with just about every totalitarian regime that has emerged over the centuries in Europe" (2007).
The Catholic Church has undermined party integrity across Europe by putting heavy pressure on all Catholic members of parliament, and citizens, to vote for what it says is the right policy. Such mass orchestration of public opinion combined with pressurizing voters, makes the Catholic Church one of the most dangerous institutions in the West. The Islamic world is going through its present Dark Ages, with religious government (theocracy) overriding most secular concerns and human rights. Europe emerged from a similar age, but the Age of Enlightenment allowed democracy to prosper and replace theocracies. Now the Catholic Church is the only survivor, the only theocracy, it has to rely on subversive political games and populist misdirection in order to try and influence law.
| Names: | (Digraph: VT)
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) |
| Type: | monarchical-sacerdotal state |
| Independence: | 11 February 1929 (from Italy) |
| Defence: | Defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City |
| Constitution: | Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) |
| Suffrage: | limited to cardinals less than 80 years old |
| Chief of state: | Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLA; since 16 October 1978); election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); results - Karol WOJTYLA was elected for life by the College of Cardinals |
| Head of government: | Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo Cardinal SODANO (since NA 1991) |
| Cabinet: | Pontifical Commission; appointed by Pope |
| Legislative branch: | Unicameral Pontifical Commission |
| Judicial branch: | Handled by Italy |
| Member of: | IAEA, ICFTU, INTELSAT, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer), OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer) |
| Chief of mission: | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN |
| Chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | |
| Telephone: | [1] (202) 333-7121 |
| Chief of mission: | Ambassador Raymond L. FLYNN |
| Embassy: | Via Delle Terme Deciane 26, Rome 00153 |
| Mailing address: | PSC 59, APO AE 09624 |
| Telephone: | [39] (6) 46741 |
| FAX: | [39] (6) 6380159 |
| Flag: | Yellow and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter on the white band |
| Railroads: | 862 meters; connects to Italy's network at Rome's Saint Peter's station Narrow gauge: 862 meters 1.435-m gauge |
| Ports, Airports: | None (landlocked) |
| Overview: | This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. |
| Budget, Revenue: | $169 million with Expenditures: $167.5 million (1993) |
| Electricity: | 5,000 kW standby (Power supplied by Italy) |
| Industries: | Printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities |
| Currency: | 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi |
| Exchange rates: | Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1 - 1,609.5 (January 1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates freely |
| Area: | Land area: 0.44 sq km, shares 3.2km of boundry with Italy |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Terrain: | low hill |
| Natural resources: | None |
| Arable land: | 0% |
| Forest and woodland: | 0% |
| Climate: | Temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) |
| International agreements: | Signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution, Environmental Modification |
| Population: | 830 (July 1995 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.15% (1995 est.) |
| Birth|Death rate: | None |
| Ethnic divisions: | Italians, Swiss |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic |
| Languages: | Italian, Latin, various other languages |
| Labor force by occupation: | Dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers who live outside the Vatican |
By Vexen Crabtree 2003 Apr 15