EDITORIAL

The Importance of Sovereignty for the Vatican

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In 1929 the Italian government and the Holy See signed the Lateran Treaty. This treaty established Vatican City as an independent state under the sovereignty of the Holy See. Prior to this treaty and following the conquest of the Papal States in 1870, the Catholic Church was under the temporal authority of the Italian government (albeit contested). The importance of the Church’s independence regarding its temporal and spiritual affairs cannot be understated. This independence is essential for the exercise of Her mission: the preaching of the Gospel and the salvation of souls.
We do not need to look far to discover what would happen if the Church were to lose this sovereignty. On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine. Pope Francis condemned the invasion as an act of war. Throughout the world other religious leaders also condemned the attack, with one notable exception: the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. The patriarch has not condemned the invasion despite requests from the world and from Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders who are subject to his governance. The Russian Orthodox Church does not exist as an independent sovereign state. The patriarch does not have the luxury of independence demonstrated by his tacit approval of Putin’s war.
Behind the scenes the Church works to restore union with the Russian Orthodox Church. Part of that process may involve helping disentangle the Russian Orthodox Patriarchy from the Kremlin.