Legal status of the Holy See Legal status of the Holy See The legal status of the Holy See, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, both in state practice and according to the writing of modern legal scholars, is that of a full subject of public international law, with rights and duties analogous to those of States. Although the Holy See, as distinct from the Vatican City State, does not fulfill the long-established criteria in international law of statehood; i.e. having a permanent population, a defined territory, a stable government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states; its possession of
Holy See–European Union relations Holy See–European Union relations Holy See–European Union relations is the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the Holy See (or Vatican City). This is framed by the Holy See's geography (within an EU state capital) while being unable to join. According to the EU's Copenhagen criteria which define what states are eligible to join the EU, a candidate state must be a free market democracy. Given that the Holy See is an elective and polysinodyc monarchy, with only one major economic actor (the state itself) it does not meet the criteria. However, as it is so small, and surrounded