Holy See of the East Holy See of the East Holy See of the East is an honorary name of the sees of a number of Christian churches in the Middle East and India. The Head & Father of the Marthoma Nazrani Church and the Gate of All India is commonly known as the successor to the Holy Apostolic See of St. Thomas. The Seat of the Patriarchs of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Nestorian Catholicos-Patriarchs which emerged from the Ancient Church of the East is also a part of the Holy See of the East. The group of Saint Thomas Christians who left
Foreign relations of the Holy See is sovereign, the two entities are separate and distinct. The State of the Vatican City was created by the Lateran Treaty in 1929 to "ensure the absolute and visible independence of the Holy See" and "to guarantee to it an indisputable sovereignty in international affairs" (quotations from the treaty). Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Holy See's former Secretary for Relations with States, said that the Vatican City is a "minuscule support-state that guarantees the spiritual freedom of the Pope with the minimum territory." The Holy See, not Vatican City, maintains diplomatic relations with states, and foreign embassies are accredited to the