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Content: In some of these conferences, the Church has taken high profile
positions that have sparked worldwide attention and raised questions regarding
its status at the United Nations. This publication provides information about
the position and role of the Roman Catholic Church at the United Nations. The Holy See and the Vatican City
Because the Roman Catholic Church has elected to participate
in the United Nations as the “Holy See,” it is important to understand the
historical origins of this entity and its current relationship to the Vatican
City. The “Holy See” is “the supreme organ of government of the
[Catholic] Church,”1 with the Pope designated as its head in the Code of Canon
Law.2 The Holy See consists of the Pope, the College of Cardinals, and the
central departments that govern the Church.3 It is, by definition, a  non-- territorial religious entity Prior to
1870, the Holy See was associated with the government of the Papal States,
which had been created by Pepin-le-Bref and his son Charlemagne in the Ninth
Century4 In 1870, Italian troops annexed the Papal States and granted freedom
to the Apostolic Palaces in Rome. The Lateran Agreement of 1929, signed by
Italy and the Holy See, finally settled that Rome was under the jurisdiction of
Italy while the State of the Vatican City remained under the “sovereignty of
the Supreme Pontiff. ”5
The Vatican City is widely regarded as a “vassal” territory
of the Holy See.6 Unlike any other modern nation, the Vatican City does not
exist to support its citizens. Rather, its purpose is to provide a base for the
central administration of the Roman Catholic Church. Only 0.44 square
kilometers in size,7 the Vatican City is the smallest area in the world
claiming to be a state.8 Its population is nominally 800 residents and 400
citizens, primarily constituted of Church officials who are there on a non-permanent
basis.9 Italy carries out a number of official functions for the Vatican City
by supplying the police force to patrol it,10 providing for the punishment of
crimes committed within the city,11 and maintaining the water and railway
systems for the area. The Vatican City is also dependent upon Italy for freedom
of communications and transportation. 12
Status at the United Nations
In 1944, the Roman Catholic Church made tentative inquiries
regarding the eligibility of the Vatican City to become a member state of the
United Nations.13 Although the United Nations does not provide the
international community with a definition of the term “state,”14 it does have
requisite conditions for admission as a member.15 An applicant to the United
Nations must: (