Vatican City

Vatican City, 1929 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed

Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, often shortened as the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state in Southern Europe. Ruled by the pope, it is an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy, and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church. The independent state of Vatican City came into existence in 1929 via the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. With an area of 44 hectares (109 acres) and a population of about 882 in 2024, it is the smallest country in the world both by area and by population.

Seat of power: Vatican City

Rulers

Pius XI

Pope, 1922–1939

He was also the first sovereign of Vatican City upon its creation on 11 February 1929. During his pontificate, the longstanding hostility with the Italian government over the status of the papacy and the Church in Italy was successfully resolved in the Lateran Treaty of 1929.

Portrait of Pius XI: Nicola Perscheid, Public domain, file

Pius XII

Pope, 1939–1958

Pius reigned as pope during a highly consequential 19 years that included the Second World War, the Holocaust and the beginning of the Cold War. Pius' actions during the war remain the subject of debate, including accusations of public silence and inaction concerning the fate of the Jews. Pius' defenders state that he employed diplomacy to aid the victims of the Nazis and directed the Church to provide discreet aid to Jews and others, thereby saving thousands of lives.

Portrait of Pius XII: Michael Pitcairn, Public domain, file

John XXIII

Pope, 1958–1963

Roncalli was unexpectedly elected pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76 after Pope Pius XII's death. He made a major impact on the Catholic Church, opening it up to the changes of the Second Vatican Council and by his own dealings with other churches and nations.

Portrait of John XXIII: De Agostini Editore, Public domain, file

Paul VI

Pope, 1963–1978

Succeeding John XXIII, he continued the Second Vatican Council, which he closed in 1965, implementing its numerous reforms. He fostered improved ecumenical relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches, which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements.

Portrait of Paul VI: Fotografia Felici, Public domain, file

John Paul II

Pope, 1978–2005

He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century. He was elected pope on the third day of the October 1978 conclave, becoming one of the youngest popes in over a century.

Portrait of John Paul II: Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

John Paul I

Pope, 1978–1978

His reign is among the shortest in papal history, giving rise to the first year of three popes since 1605. He was the first pope to have been born in the 20th century, as well as the last pope to die in it.

Portrait of John Paul I: Anefo, CC0, file

Benedict XVI

Pope, 2005–2013

He was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as "pope emeritus", a title he held until his death on 31 December 2022.

Portrait of Benedict XVI: Kancelaria Prezydenta RP, GFDL 1.2, file

Pope Francis

Pope, 2013–2025

Throughout his papacy, Francis was noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility, commitment to interreligious dialogue, and concern for the poor, migrants, and refugees. He made women and laymen full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Leo XIV

Pope, 2025 to today

Born in Chicago, United States, Prevost became a friar in the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982. He is the first pope from the United States or North America, and the first to be a citizen of Peru.

Portrait of Leo XIV: Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Culture

Vatican City contains religious and cultural sites such as St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Apostolic Library, and the Vatican Museums.
The economy of Vatican City is supported financially by donations from Catholic believers, by the sale of postage stamps and souvenirs, fees for admission to museums, and sales of publications.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, and Carlo Maderno, with piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Saint Peter's is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world by interior measure.
Vatican City is governed by the See of Rome, commonly known as the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains its temporal power, governance, diplomacy, and spiritual independence.

Picture

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican is a church of the Italian Renaissance located in Vatican City.

Image: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.