Home
 It was raining quite hard on the morning of February 11, 1929. Several automobiles containing Cardinal Gasparri and his party drove up to the Lateran Palace. The Pope's representatives entered the Hall of Constantine. At noon the representative of the King of Italy, Premier Mussolini and his party entered the hall and were greeted by the Papal representatives. After the exchange of cordialities, Cardinal Gasparri and Benito Mussolini signed the three documents that comprised the pact, with a gold pen sent by Pope Pius XI for the signing. In less than a half hour's time the treaty was signed with only a handful of high dignitaries of the Church and State being present. The bells of St. John Lateran pealed Joyously as the signatures were affixed and a group of theological students chanted the "Te Deum" in the square below. The two dignitaries shook hands, congratulating one another and departed. The Roman Question had been answered! The Lateran Treaty (so named because it was signed at the Lateran Palace) created the tiniest nation in the world, the State of Vatican City, and re-established the Pope's sovereignty and independence. The treaty further states that the Italian government would have Catholicism as its only state religion, recognize the Vatican territory as neutral and inviolable, change Civil Laws that conflicted with Canon Law, and make Catholicism compulsory in the schools. Other provisions of the documents provided that the Italian government would build a railroad station in the Vatican and establish direct communications with other states, including a postal service. The right to send and receive diplomatic representatives to foreign countries also was agreed to according to international law. Immunities were granted to church dignitaries, and officials for the territory outside the Vatican proper, as well as the parcels of land themselves. A working agreement was also reached to protect the Vatican and provide for the apprehension and extradition of criminals and fugitives. The Lateran Pact also stipulated that an indemnity of 750,000,000 lire in cash and 1,000,000,000 lire in Italian interest-bearing bonds was to be paid the Vatican for the loss of temporal power in 1870. Though the treaty was signed on February 11th, it did not go into effect until noon of June 7th. At that time the government of the new state began to function, Swiss Guards took their posts at the new boundaries of the Vatican state and rolled back the bronze doors of the Vatican Palace that had been closed since the fall of Rome in September, 1870. The Pontiff was a Prisoner of the Vatican no longer. To commemorate this important treaty, the Vatican Postal Administration released a set of two stamps depicting Pope Pius XI and a view of Vatican City. The stamps were placed on sale on February 12, 1954, to mark the silver anniversary of the signing. The stamps could not be released on the actual anniversary date as it was a Holiday and the post office was closed. Italy also marked the signing of the Lateran Pact with a set of two stamps depicting the Lateran Palace where the treaty was signed. From: William Wonneberger, Jr, "The Vatican's Postage Stamps" National Philatelic Museum Ernest A. Kehr, editor Volume VII, Number 1, 1954, page 98-99 Reproduced by the Vatican Philatelic Society with permission of the Cardinal Spellman Museum |
