The Human Truth Foundation

Vatican City (State of the Vatican City)

http://www.humantruth.info/vatican_city.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Vatican City
State of the Vatican City
StatusIndependent State
CapitalVatican City
Land Area
LocationEurope
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 CodesVA, VAT, 3361
Internet Domain.va2
CurrencyEuro (EUR)3
Telephone+3794

1. Overview

#christianity #italy

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 religious freedom, threats against minority Christian communities in Africa and the Middle East, international development, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1.2 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)5

Book CoverThe Vatican, at a mere 0.44 sq km, may be the world´s smallest soverign state, but it boasts some of Italy´s most celebrated masterpieces. Ensconced in the centre of the Italian capital Rome and enshrined in a bevy of sacrosanct traditions and rituals, the Vatican City is one of those rare places that must be visited to be believed. This is the seat of the Catholic Church, ruled with absolute authority by the Pope, who lives in a palace with over a thousand rooms and is protected by a hundred single Swiss men in ceremonious red, yellow and blue costume.

The city was established by the 1929 Lateran Treaty, and is the modern vestige of the Papal States, the fiefdom that ruled Rome and much of central Italy until the Italian reunification in 1861. The Vatican´s association with Christianity dates to the 1st century, when St Peter was crucified in Nero´s Circus. To commemorate this, the emperor Constantine commissioned a basilica to be built on the site where the saint was buried.

The glory of St Peter´s Basilica, however, is only the beginning of the wealth of treasures that await deep inside the bowels of the Vatican Museums.

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)6

2. Vatican City's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #women

Compared to Europe (2020)7,8
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank7,8
1Sweden9.2
2Norway14.7
3Denmark14.7
4Netherlands15.8
5Iceland20.1
...
43Macedonia82.2
44Turkey82.6
45Andorra84.3
46Azerbaijan87.1
47Vatican City92.0
48Monaco94.2
49San Marino100.6
Europe Avg50.3
q=49.
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)7,8
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank7,8
1Sweden9.2
2Norway14.7
3Denmark14.7
4Netherlands15.8
5New Zealand17.5
...
95Nepal90.1
96S. Sudan90.5
97Tunisia91.8
98Vatican City92.0
99China92.0
100Kenya92.6
101Vietnam92.8
World Avg87.7
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark7. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu7.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe7, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia7.

For more, see:

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)9
Pos.Higher is better
Treaties9
1Argentina24
2Chile23
3Costa Rica23
4Ecuador23
5Germany23
...
156Laos10
157Solomon Islands10
158Qatar10
159Vatican City10
160India10
161Fiji10
Europe Avg19.5
World Avg15.1
q=194.
HR Treaties Lag (2019)10
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Yrs/Treaty10
1Ecuador2.15
2Uruguay2.25
3Tunisia3.65
4Colombia3.68
5Costa Rica4.05
...
117Slovakia11.24
118Burundi11.27
119Qatar11.34
120Vatican City11.34
121Latvia11.39
122Angola11.59
Europe Avg9.09
World Avg10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

Women have far fewer political rights than men, and are prevented from voting and standing for election.

See:

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.Lower is better
Year
1New Zealand1893
2Australia1902
3Finland1906
4Norway1913
5Denmark1915
...
184Moldova1994
185Oman1994
186Qatar2003
187Kuwait2005
188Saudi Arabia0
189Vatican City0
Europe Avg1895
World Avg1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality (2017)11
Pos.Higher is better
Score11
1Netherlands103
2Belgium90
3Sweden86
4Brazil81
5Spain79
6France78
7S. Africa78
8Uruguay77
9Norway72
10Denmark72
11Iceland72
12UK72
Europe Avg46.9
World Avg12.6
q=196.

3. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #the_environment

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.Earlier is better
Signed
1China1993 Dec 29
2Guinea1993 Dec 29
3Cook Islands1993 Dec 29
4Vanuatu1993 Dec 29
5Papua New Guinea1993 Dec 29
...
192Iraq2009 Oct 26
193Somalia2009 Dec 10
194Palestine2015 Apr 02
195Andorra2015 May 05
196USA
197Vatican City
Europe Avg1899 Dec 30
World Avg1899 Dec 30
q=197.