THE HOLY SEE

Address/Contact Details of Indian Mission(s)

Embassy of India
Kirchenfeldstrasse, CH-3005, Berne
Telephone (PABX) No. : 0041-31-3511110, 3511046 & 3511357 (Commercial Wing) 
Telefax No.: 0041-31-3511557
Web: www.indembassyberne.ch
E-mail Address: india@spectraweb.ch

BASIC FACTS ABOUT COUNTRY

Name and capital of the country: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City); Vatican City

Names of Provinces & Provincial Capitals : Nil

Population  :  Approximately 1200

Currency/Exchange rate  :  Euro 1: INR 54.49(Official rate of exchange as on 16.06.2004)

Languages spoken : Italian and Latin

Latitude/Longitude : 41°54’N / 12°27’E    

Time zone: Standard time zone: GMT + 0200           

Daylight saving time details: Day light saving time begins on 28^th March and ends on 31^st October.

Name of Head of State  : His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Name of Head of Government : His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State

Name of Foreign Minister : His Excellency Archbishop Giovanni Lojolo, Secretary for Relations with State

Basic foreign, international trade policies etc:

The Holy See conducts an active diplomacy.  It maintains formal diplomatic relations with 174 nations; 68 of these maintain permanent resident diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See in Rome. The rest have missions located outside Italy with concurrent accreditation. The Holy See maintains 106 permanent diplomatic missions to nation-states and a separate permanent diplomatic mission to the European Union.

Holy See’s foreign policy and stand on incidents/events concerning international relations have the personal guidance of the Pope and highlight his concern with retaining moral high ground.  The Holy See has traditionally maintained a neutral position in inter-State disputes.  After the terrorist attacks on the US on September, 11, 2001, the Pope said that nations had a moral and legal right to defend themselves against terrorism.  He did not condemn the bombing of Afghanistan although he did say that such military actions must be aimed solely at people with ‘criminal culpability’ and not whole groups of innocent civilians. 

Condemning war as a ‘defeat for humanity’, he refused to bless the war in Iraq.  He called international law, honest dialogue, solidarity between States and the ‘noble exercise of diplomacy’, methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving differences.

On the India-Pak issue, the Holy See’s view is that negotiations are the only means to settle dispute between the two countries.

Membership of major multilateral and regional organizations: The Holy See is an observer of UNO, OAS, OAU, WToO, WTO, WHO, WFP, UNESCO, UNEP, UNDCP, UNCHS, LU, IOM, ILO, IFAD, FAO, WMO, UNCOPUOS, ISDR, IMO, AALCC, ICAO, ICFTU, and Intelsat.

The Holy See is a member of:  OPCW,  ITU, ITSO, WIPO, UPU, UNIDROIT, UNHCR, UNCTAD, IGC, ICMM, IAEA, CTBTO.

The Holy See is a participating State in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.  It is a guest of honour to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.  The Holy See has a delegate to the Arab League in Cairo (AL)

Major industries, global companies, etc: Printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities.

Budget: Revenues (2002) : USD 245 million; Expenditures (2002): USD 260 million

This unique, non-commercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

Major Tourist attractions : St. Peter's Basilica,  Sistine Chapel, Vatican Gardens (Giardini del Vaticano), Vatican Museums, The Vatican Library, The Vatican Picture Gallery, The Sacred Grottoes, St. Peter’s Square.

Major art forms/cultural traditions and venues/museums, etc: The Churches, Museums, Picture Galleries, Vatican Palace and Museums house a large number of paintings and art forms.  The dome of St.Peter’s Basilica which dominates the church was designed by Michelangelo.The church contains a number of well-known works, including the canopy over the high altar, a majestic creation by Bernini, the gilt bronze Chair of St. Peter, the monument to Clement XIII by Canova, and Michelangelo's famous 'Pietà', a wonderful marble sculpture. The Basilica is 187 metres  long and 132 metres high and is the heart of Christianity. The cavernous interior holds a staggering 60,000 people for services and blessings. The Sistine Chapel is probably the Vatican's ultimate building and crowning glory. In 1483 it was decorated by some of the best painters in the world - Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio, Signorelli and others. However, it was Michelangelo whose painting of the vast ceiling and his masterpiece 'The Last Judgment', that have made this chapel famous throughout the world. The Vatican Picture Gallery contains some wonderful works of art by Giotto, Cimabue, Raphael, Crivelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Domenichino, Caravaggio to name but a few, and also a room dedicated solely to modern art. The Vatican Library contains thousands of codices, manuscripts and early printed books. The Vatincan Museums are a group of palaces which house some of the most important collections in the world. There are several exhibitons, including the Etruscan Museum, Raphael Rooms and Loggias and  the Egyptian Museum.  The Vatican Museums are part of the Vatican Palace, which has been the official residence of the Pope since 1377. With painted ceilings, chapels, an estimated 1,400 rooms and many galleries, there are approximately 8 km of exhibits.

Major Newspapers/Magazine/TV Channels with contract details: L’Osservatore Romano founded in 1861 is a daily newspaper and is the semi-official organ of the Holy See.  It covers general news and religious matters. Radio Vatican was designed by Marconi, the inventor of Radio.  It was founded in 1931 and was supervised by Marconi until his death.  It is one of the most powerful stations in Europe and operates in international frequencies for 20 hours every day, including Sundays, in any of 32 languages.

INDIA – THE HOLY SEE RELATIONS

Events/facts of particular historical and cultural significance in relations between India and The  Holy See,  including date of establishment of diplomatic relations:

Diplomatic relations between India and the Holy See were established soon after India’s independence. India’s Ambassador in Berne, Switzerland, has traditionally been accredited to the Holy See which maintains a Nunciature (Embassy) in New Delhi, presently headed by a Nuncio (Ambassador).  India has the second largest Catholic population in Asia which also includes the Kerala rites dating from Apostolic times.  With a shortage of priests and nuns from developed countries, a large number of Indians have joined various Roman Catholic Orders and a number of them have started occupying high positions within the Catholic Church institutions including those in Rome.  India and Indians have increasingly a positive image in the Catholic community.

Political Relations: Cordial and friendly.

Bilateral visits:

High level visits  from India to Vatican

Several Indian dignitaries have from time to time called on the Pope in the Vatican.  These have included late Smt. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister,  in 1981, Shri I.K. Gujral, former Prime Minister,  in September 1987.  Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister,  called on the Pope in June, 2000 during his bilateral official visit to Italy.  A delegation led by Shri  P.C. Thomas, former Minister of State for Law and Justice  visited Vatican in 2003 in connection with the beatification of Mother Teresa. 

High level visits from Vatican to India

-   Pope John Paul VI visited India in 1964 to attend the International Eucharistic Congress.

-   Pope John Paul II visited India in February 1986

-   Visit by Pope John Paul II to India in November 1999 when he met the President,Vice President, Prime Minister and EAM.  He participated in the concluding session of Synod of Bishops of Asia at which he signed and released post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. 

March 2005

Foreign Relations 

Ministry Of External Affairs, India