Vatican City (Holy See)

The Vatican or Holy See is with its approximately 44 hectares the smallest independent nation in the world and the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic church. Its territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome.

Religious ceremonies attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Vatican, with Christmas and Easter being the most popular. Rome is at its best in spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November). During these seasons the scenery is beautiful, the temperatures are pleasant, and it's not too busy. Try to avoid August, as this is the time that most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and businesses are closed as a result.

Pope John Paul II, who died in April 2005 after a 26-year pontificate, is succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI.

• Full name: State of the Vatican City
• Population: 900
• Head of State: Pope Benedict XVI
• Capital: Vatican City
• Major languages: Latin (official), Italian
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 74 years (men), 81 years (women)
• Monetary unit: 1 Vatican lira = 100 centesimi, 1 euro = 100 cents
• Main exports: Postage stamps, publications, tourist souvenirs
• Internet domain: .va
• International dialling code: +39

Vatican City is the home of the Holy See, the body politic of the Roman Catholic Church and the jurisdiction of the Pope. Although the terms "Vatican City" and "Holy See" are often used interchangeably, the Holy See actually extends much further than the walls of the Vatican. The Holy See is the governing authority of Roman Catholic institutions everywhere, and the Vatican City is its home base.

While the Vatican City is in Rome, it is a separate body of government from that of the rest of Italy. The independent State of Vatican City was created in 1929 through the decrees of the Lateran Treaties in response to the unification of Italy and the annexation of Rome in 1870. The Vatican City has its own legislative and executive branches, although judicial concerns are still handled by the Italian system.

Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy that is ruled by the Bishop of Rome; the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic Church. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See and the location of the Apostolic Palace; the Pope's official residence and the Roman Curia. Thus, while the principal ecclesiastical seat (Cathedral) of the Pope as Bishop of Rome (the Basilica of St. John Lateran) is located outside of its walls, in Rome, Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI

Formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI was elected pope in April 2005. He is the 265^th pontiff.

Pope Benedict was born in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany, in 1927 and is the oldest man to become pope in more than 100 years. He had a distinguished career as a university theologian before being appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising by Pope Paul VI (1963–78). Shortly afterwards, he was made a cardinal in the consistory of June 27, 1977. He was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith by Pope John Paul II in 1981 and was also assigned the honorific title of the cardinal bishop of Velletri-Segni on April 5, 1993. In 1998, he was elected sub-dean of the College of Cardinals. And on November 30, 2002, he was elected dean, taking, as is customary, the title of Cardinal bishop of the suburbicarian diocese of Ostia. He was the first Dean of the College elected Pope since Paul IV (1555–59) and the first cardinal bishop elected Pope since Pius VIII (1829–30).

Even before becoming Pope, Ratzinger was one of the most influential men in the Roman Curia, and was one of the closest friends of John Paul II. As Dean of the College of Cardinals, he presided over the funeral of John Paul II and over the Mass immediately preceding the 2005 conclave in which he was elected. During the service, he called on the assembled cardinals to hold fast to the doctrine of the faith. He is regarded as an ultraconservative intellectual with rigorously uncompromising views on birth control, sexuality and euthanasia.

As well as his native German, Benedict XVI fluently speaks Italian, French, English, Spanish and Latin, and has a knowledge of Portuguese. He can read Ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew. He is a member of a large number of academies, such as the French Académie des sciences morales et politiques. He plays the piano and has a preference for Mozart and Bach.

Flag of the Vatican City

The flag of the Vatican City consists of two vertical bands of gold and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centered in the white band. It is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being the flag of Switzerland.

The flag was adopted on June 7, 1929. In the same year Pope Pius XI signed a treaty with Italy, ensuring that the Papal State, albeit its territory had been decreased, will continue to exist as an independent state. In previous centuries (especially in the 19th century) the Papal States used a purple and gold flag, which resembled the current one.

The square flag is vertically divided into two halves, the half closer to the flagpole is yellow, the other is white. The coat of arms can be found in the white half. The coat of arms consists of:

• the papal tiara (as used under the pontificate of Pius XI);
• the two keys which represent the keys to Heaven (according to the Gospel of Matthew 16:19) given by Jesus Christ to St. Peter . The popes are regarded as the successor of Peter, and the gold and silver keys have been significant elements in the symbolism of the Papal State since the 14th century. The gold represents spiritual power, while the silver key represents worldly power.
• a red cord connecting the keys.

The yellow and white of the flag also refers to the keys; in heraldry yellow is used to represent gold, while white represents silver.