LATERAN AGREEMENTS AS A LEGAL BASIS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VATICAN CITY-STATE

Abstract

The article examines the process of the formation of the Vatican City-State as a result of the signing of the Lateran Agreements, signed on February 11, 1929 between the Holy See (represented by Cardinal Pietro Gasparry, Secretary of State) and the Kingdom of Italy (represented by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. The author is considering the so-called «Roman question» – about the status of the Vatican after the dissolution of the Pontifical State in 1870, and the historical and political preconditions for the conclusion of the Lateran agreements, which finally resolved it. The author describes the peculiarities of the conclusion, structure (treaty, financial convention and concordat) and the main content of the Lateran agreements. The political treaty was characterized as one of the three parts of the Lateran agreements, which legally consolidated the state status of the Vatican. In fact, under the Lateran agreements, the Pope acknowledged Rome as the residence of the Italian government. Instead, the Italian government guaranteed secular sovereignty of the Holy See, including international affairs (Article 2); provided for the formal recognition of the Vatican status as a sovereign territory, governed by the Holy See, formally calling the Vatican — the City of Vatican City (Citta del Vaticano), whose boundaries are determined by the plan annexed to the treaty (Article 3). A number of articles regulated administrative issues, provisions on special citizenship for the subjects of the Holy See, about the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, etc. Besides that the treaty recognize Catholicism as «the only state religion» in Italy (Article 1). The Financial Convention resolved the issue of compensation to the Holy See for the loss of the Holy See in connection with the liquidation of the Papal region. Namely it provided for the payment by Italy to the Holy See 750 millions of lir as 5-% securities (Article 1); instead, the Holy See abandoned the financial claims to Italy that arose as a result of the formation of an Italian state (Article 2) (this meant the armed capture of the territory of the Pontifical State by the troops of the King of Sardinian, Victor Emmanuel Savoy in 1870, and the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1871). Concordat regulated the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Italian state. In particular it defined the rights and privileges of the Catholic Church in Italy, the state announced 10 holy holidays as well as Sundays on non-working days (Article 11); bishops are obliged to swear allegiance to the King of Italy as the head of state (Article 20). Other articles envisaged the wide involvement of the clergy in the Italian education system, recognize the organization «Catholic Action», etc. Consequently, the signing of the Lateran agreements put an end to the conflict between the Pope and the Italian state and provided the papal territory with a definite state status. This allowed the Vatican to actively move to the interstate policy.