[3] The population of Vatican City includes clergy, religious members, lay employees of the state (like the Swiss Guard), and their families.

[9] Historically, women in Vatican City faced significant restrictions, including the inability to open a bank account.

[9] On April 21, 2013, The Telegraph reported that Pope Francis planned to appoint more women to key positions within the Vatican.

In May 2019, he made a significant move by appointing three women as consultors to the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment, marking a historic first for the Catholic Church.

[10] Additionally, the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, began publishing supplementary pages focused on women's issues.

The cardinalate, while a prestigious office, is a privilege granted by the Pope and does not constitute a separate degree of Holy Orders; rather, it is conferred upon bishops and other church leaders.

The Church only condones an "indirect" abortion in cases where the procedure aims solely to save the woman’s life, and where the fetus’s death is an unintended, albeit anticipated, outcome.

Despite this, many other languages are used within Vatican City due to the diverse origins of its residents and its various institutions, such as the Holy See and the Swiss Guard.

After Vatican City's establishment in 1929 through the Lateran Treaty, the state did not designate an official language, although its laws are published in Italian in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Citizenship typically ends when the person's role ceases, though it is extended to spouses and children of citizens, provided they live together within Vatican City.

[22] Vatican City frequently stands out in per capita and per area statistical comparisons, primarily due to its tiny size and unique ecclesiastical function.

St. Peter's Basilica, a prominent example of Renaissance architecture, was designed by several architects, including Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno, and Bernini.

The Sistine Chapel is widely recognized for its frescoes, featuring works by artists such as Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Botticelli, along with Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment.

Its members have included notable scientists such as astrophysicist Martin John Rees, mathematician Cédric Villani, theoretical physicist Edward Witten, Nobel laureates in Chemistry Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, as well as geneticists Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Francis Collins, the head transplant pioneer Robert J.

[31] The Pontifical Academy for Life, located at the San Callisto complex, focuses on bioethics and ethics related to technology.

The Observatory remains active in astronomical research, contributing to areas such as cosmological models, stellar classification, binary stars, and nebulae.

Additionally, it participates in philosophical interdisciplinary studies at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences in Berkeley, California and research on the history of astronomy thanks to its extensive library, which also includes a meteorite collection.

[39] Vatican City receives subsidies from the Italian state, including a free water supply, tax exemptions, and other forms of dedicated public funding.

Vatican City issues its own coins and stamps and has used the euro as its currency since January 1, 1999, through the Council Decision 1999/98 with the European Union.

[42] Vatican City’s industries include printing, the production of a limited amount of mosaics, and the manufacture of staff uniforms, along with global banking and financial operations.

Promulgated by Pope John Paul II on November 26, 2000, the Fundamental Law consists of 20 articles[44] and took effect on February 22, 2001, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.

[45] The apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium regulates the Roman Curia, which provides assistance to the pope in governing the Catholic Church.

[51][52] According to Article 3 of the 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy, St. Peter's Square, while part of Vatican City State, is primarily patrolled by the Italian police up to the steps leading to the basilica.

Article 22 of the Lateran Treaty stipulates that the Italian government will seek the prosecution and detention of criminal suspects at the request of the Holy See, with the expenses incurred covered by Vatican City.