Map of Vatican City (Holy See)
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula
for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many
of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy.
In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself
was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes
and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established
the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special
status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy
modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy
of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns
of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious
dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in
an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide
profess the Catholic faith.
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