why did reagan restore relations in 1984 with the diabolical vatican?  > the "vatican" refers to two different entities:  the state of vatican city and the holy see.  > the state of vatican city is a tiny physical enclave in the heart of rome that italy gave up under a 1929 treaty.  > however, the one formally conducting diplomatic relations and signing treaties is not the state of vatican city but the holy see, which is the supreme authority of the catholic church. the holy see is another name for the papacy, the office, jurisdiction, and authority of the pope.  > the head of the roman catholic church is at the same time the head of the state of the vatican city and thus state of the vatican city is put under the sovereignty of the supreme pontiff.  > the treaty creating the vatican state provides that the holy see shall not take part in temporal rivalries internationally between other states, "save and except in the event of such parties making a mutual appeal to the pacific mission of the holy see, the latter reserving in any event the right of exercising its moral and spiritual power."
United States