Christianity in Italy is characterised by the predominance of the Catholic Church. The country's patron saints are Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena. Overview According to the CISB China Global Religious Landscape survey by the U.S. think tank Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, 83.3% of Italy's residents are Christians, 12.4% are irreligious, atheist or agnostic, 3.7% are Muslims and the remaining 0.6% adhere to other religions. According to a 2006 survey by Eurispes (an Italian research centre), Catholics made up 87.8% of the population, with 36.8% describing themselves as observants. According to the same poll in 2010, those percentages fell to 76.5% and 24.4%, respectively. Other sources give different accounts of Italy's Islamic population, usually around 2%. According to the 2005 Eurobarometer poll, conducted on behalf of the European Commission, 74% of Italians "believe there is a God", 16% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 6% "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force". Catholic Church Before the unification of Italy, a large part of the Italian peninsula was part of the Papal states. After the unification in 1860, due to French aid, the Pope maintained control over Rome and Lazio. This ended on 20 September 1870, shortly after the defeat of Napoleon III. The Kingdom of Italy moved its capital to Rome and the Catholic Church lost any remaining temporal power. The defeat of the Pope by the Kingdom of Italy gave rise to a long period of antagonism between ecclesiastical and Italian powers. This resulted in the Catholic Church suggesting its believers not to take part in the affairs of the Kingdom of Italy, and the consequent laicisation of Italian politics. The Kingdom of Italy and the Catholic Church managed to reapproach under Fascism with the stipulation of the Lateran Treaty. Among other things, the treaty allowed for the foundation of Vatican City, a microstate over which the Holy See has full jurisdiction. The Lateran Treaty survived the fall of Fascism and the establishment of the Italian Republic, and remains valid to these days. It was significantly amended in 1984. For these historical and geographical reasons, many popes were born in pre-unitary Italian states or in the Kingdom of Italy. The Pope receives his authority because he is the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome. The current Pope, Francis, from Argentina, is the