Vatican City — formally State of the Vatican City, or Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano, Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae) — is a sovereign polis whose territory consists of a landlocked enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. The entire state is about 44 hectares (108.7 acres) and thus is a European microstate. It is the smallest independent nation in the world. Since it is governed by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), its government can be described as ecclesiastical and the highest state functionaries are in fact clergymen. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin:Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace — the Pope's official residence — and the Roman Curia. Thus, although the principal ecclesiastical seat of the Holy See (Basilica of St. John Lateran) is located in Rome itself, the Vatican City can be said to be the governmental capital of the Catholic Church of both East and West.
Although technically not included within the territory of the Vatican City State, according to the Lateran treaties, certain properties of the Holy See have an extraterritorial status similar to that of foreign embassies. These include the papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo in the nearby hills, the Lateran Basilica, the basilicas of St. Mary Major and of St Paul Outside the Walls, and a number of other buildings in Rome. Castelgandolfo and the named basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of the Vatican City State and not by Italian police. St. Peter's Square is ordinarily policed jointly by both.
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Holy See Press Office - Bulletin, Synodus Episcoporum, Vatican Information Service and logistical information. [Internet Explorer is needed to visualize correctly the information contained in these areas]
L'Osservatore Romano - Weekly edition in English.
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Vatican Radio: The Pope's Voice - Programmes in 40 different languages, live broadcasts, broadcasts on demand.
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