Gazing upward through the bright rays of sunlight streaming in through the centuries-old stained glass windows set high in the magnificently adorned ceilings of St. Peter's Basilica, the viewer feels an unspeakable awe at the sheer genius of the structure -the largest church in the World- Consecrated in 1626 after more than a century of planning and building.
The basilica, joined by the Piazza of St. Peter, lies near the center of Vatican City, the religious and administrative heart of the Roman Catholic Church. With 800 million followers, it is the largest single organized group of Christians in the world.
A holy site from the early days of Christianity and home to the popes since the fourteenth century, the modern state of Vatican City has existed by treaty with Italy only since 1929 when the Lateran Treaty between Mussolini's Italian government and the Holy See resolved a long dispute by recognizing the Vatican's sovereignty and establishing its borders.
The world's smallest country-Liechtenstein-is 360 times as large. Vatican City covers 108.7 acres and has a permanent resident population of about 300. It retains all the trappings of nationhood-its own postage stamps, its own diplomatic corps, its own flag, its own "army," the familiar Swiss Guard, and the right under international compact to have its own navy.
Shrouded in an aura of religious mystique and imbued in the artistic and historical chronicles of the ages, the Vatican is many things to many people. It is a political state, a religious headquarters, and a multinational organization that has built up a reputation for its complexity, efficiency, and secrecy.
The Pope
At the head of the Vatican hierarchy is Pope John Paul II, elected in 1978. Formerly Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, he is the first pope ever from Poland, the first non-Italian pope for 450 years, and, though gray-haired, the youngest in 150 years. He is the 264th Bishop of Rome, and thereby linked in direct succession to the first bishop, St. Peter, prince of the Apostles. Known for his personable style and in keeping with the trend of recent popes to curtail and humanize the pomp of the Vatican, Pope John Paul II has set a record for international papal travel since his election.
With nearly 600 headquarters of religious orders and a score of universities and institutes of higher education, the city of Rome is a solid link between the Vatican and the Catholic world. But it is also the pope's own diocese, with about 300 parishes, 1,700 religious communities, and nearly 30 groups of enclosed nuns. The pope's position as a bishop is vital to an understanding of the modern papacy.
The Swiss Guard
Charged with guarding the pope with a small but valiant force is the Swiss Guard. Perhaps the most visible of the Vatican's staff, numbering about 100, the Guard was formed in the early 1500s, at about the time that Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. The guard is responsible for the personal protection of Pope John Paul II, a task taken even more seriously since the attempted assassination of the pope in 1981.
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