Millions of citizens of countries
from all over the world enter Vatican territory every year to visit the
Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica or catch a glimpse of the pope
on a Sunday in St. Peter's Square.
But only a select 572 souls can claim citizenship of the Vatican itself, statistics released March 1 showed.
Those are the ones carrying what is probably the most exclusive ID card
in the world, issued by the Stato della Citta del Vaticano, or Vatican
City State.
And of that rarefied group, only 32 are women.
The agency that regulates life within the smallest country on the planet
issued the statistics listing who actually lives within the Vatican
walls. The facts and figures accompanied copies of Pope Benedict XVI's
new regulations for citizenship, residency and access to areas not open
to the general public.
Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, deputy secretary general of the Vatican City
governor's office, explained in a statement that the papal laws updated
the old rules written in 1929 under the treaty with Italy known as the
Lateran Pacts. Under the old regulations, residents were obliged to
accept citizenship; now some people, such as spouses of employees, can
opt out of Vatican citizenship.
Who are the citizens of the Vatican? The pope, naturally, and 73
cardinals who live within the walls or in Rome; 306 members of the papal
diplomatic corps; 49 priests and religious brothers; one nun; 86 Swiss
Guards; and 25 laymen and 31 laywomen, most of whom are Vatican
employees, along with their spouses and children, the list showed.
Of those with Vatican passports, only 223 call the Vatican home, while
349 live in Rome or elsewhere. Most will lose their privileged status
when they leave their Vatican post or residence.
Another 221 people live on Vatican territory as residents but are not
citizens. They are mostly clergy, male and female religious and lay
workers, according to the statistics.
The small numbers contrast with the massive traffic of people who pass
through the Vatican, mostly for tourism or to participate in religious
functions.
The Vatican press office said that in 2010, some 18 million
people visited St. Peter's Basilica, 4.6 million toured the Vatican
Museums and 2.2 million attended papal liturgies, audiences or the
Sunday recitation of the Angelus.
The Vatican is a sovereign state but shares many things with surrounding
Rome, including its traffic: The governor's office said 2.2 million
cars passed through the walls in 2010 alone.