Legal status of the Holy See full subject of international law. The Lateran Treaty itself seems to support this view. In article 2, Italy recognized "the sovereignty of the Holy See in the international domain as an attribute inherent in its nature, in accordance with its tradition and with the requirements of its mission in the world." For a further group, the legal personality of the Holy See in international law arises from the Lateran Treaty, which, in their view, conferred international standing to the central government of the Catholic Church. In this sense, Oppenheim argued that "the previously controversial international position of the Holy See
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations is the representative of the Holy See at the United Nations. The diplomatic mission does not have the status of Permanent Representative and thus cannot vote — a decision it has freely taken. The Holy See has sat in the UN as a non-voting delegation with permanent observer state status since 1964, and is one of two states with this status, the other being the State of Palestine. The Permanent Observer, currently Archbishop Bernardito Auza, as of 1 July