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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 01:34 am |
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 17, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Recently published statistics report that there are 557 citizens of Vatican City.
The report released the demographics of the sovereign city-state as of Dec. 31, 2005.
Of the total number of citizens, 58 are cardinals, 293 are clergy with status as members of pontifical representations, 62 are other members of the clergy, 101 are members of the Swiss Guard and the remaining 43 are other lay persons.
Little less than half -- 246 -- maintain their original citizenship.
Vatican citizenship is not inherited nor can it be acquired by being born in the city. It can only be acquired based on service to the Holy See and is revoked upon termination of employment by the Vatican.
Article 9 of the 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy says that if a person ceases to be a citizen of the Holy See, and does not have citizenship elsewhere, Italian citizenship is granted.
There were 111 marriages recorded in Vatican City for 2005.
The above article is reposted with permission from Zenit.
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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri May 18th, 2007 01:53 am |
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Just as a point of interest added to the above article, in case anyone does not know, Vatican City is an independent country completely surrounded by Italy. It has its own post office and its own Internet TLD, .va. The Pope is recognized as an international Head of State, diplomatically equivalent to the President of the United States, the Queen of England, the President of France, etc. He is the only freely elected absolute monarch in the world, and is elected for life. The electors are the cardinals, many of whom are citizens of the Vatican.
The Vatican is represented at international conferences, and while not a member of the United Nations, has permanent observer status. The United States has diplomatic relations with the Vatican and has an appointed ambassador to the Holy See. (The Papal Nuncio to the United States serves also as ambassador.) When the Pope addresses the United Nations, he does so as a head of state with full diplomatic status.
There are also world leaders who are heads of Protestant churches. The Queen of England is one, and I believe also the kings of Sweden and Norway (and possibly Denmark), and there may be others.
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