Background:
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 the
failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and
reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of
rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide
profess the Catholic faith.