The Catholic Lawyer Volume 29 Number 3 Volume 29, Summer 1984, Number 3 Article 2 United States - Vatican Recognition: Background and Issues Samuel W. Bettwy Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/tcl Part of the Catholic Studies Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Catholic Lawyer by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. UNITED STATES-VATICAN RECOGNITION: BACKGROUND AND ISSUESt SAMUEL W. BETTWY* "A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic . .;[with] some knowledge of these .. .an architect."' In world affairs, the Roman Catholic Church and all its alter egos are known generically as "the Vatican." Its leader is the "Pope," its diplo- matic agent is called the "Holy See," and its independent territory is called "The State of Vatican City." The Vatican participates in interna- tional conferences as well as in bilateral and multilateral treaties with world nations. Nevertheless, the Church is not a state, nor does it claim to be one. On January 10, 1984, the United States became the 107th na- tion and the first superpower to establish reciprocal diplomatic relations with the Vatican.2 Although other attempts had been made, never before t Copyright Samuel W. Bettwy 1984. * Project Editor, American Society of International Law; Member, California and Arizona State Bars and the Bar of the District of Columbia; B.A. Economics, Pomona College; J.D., California Western School of Law; LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center.