What Kind Of Authority Does The Pope Have Over Vatican City State?
The Pontiff is effectively the last reigning absolute monarch in the whole of European. When someone is elected pope, he automatically becomes the head of Vatican City, which is recognised as a sovereign state under international law after the Lateran Treaty. He has complete judicial, executive and judicial authority over all 108.7 acres within the walls of the Vatican. The pope also controls all the assets of the city. The Vatican denies that its monarchical government is a model for other nations, but says it is necessary to allow a recognised territory where the Holy See can operate free of political intervention. In effect, the pope delegates the governance of Vatican City to the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State, which meets a few times a year to discuss administrative and financial policies. The president of the commission has a similar role to a prime minister, who governs in the name of the Holy Father.
