Why go
Understanding the difference between the Holy See and Vatican City clarifies Rome’s role in the Catholic Church. Looking beyond Catholic sites also makes Italy’s Jewish history and minority Christian communities visible instead of treating every place of worship as part of one tradition.
The full story
The pope is the Bishop of Rome, and the Holy See is the governing authority of the Catholic Church. Vatican City is the small state created in 1929; the two names do not mean the same thing. This distinction helps explain why Rome is both a city of churches and the center of a worldwide religious institution. Catholicism has long had a strong presence in Italian life, but it is no longer the state religion. Italy also has Orthodox, Waldensian and Protestant communities, among others. Jewish communities have roots in ancient Rome and endured profound losses during the Holocaust. Their history is part of the city’s history, not a recent addition to it. When visiting religious buildings and neighborhoods, notice how different periods and communities occupy the same urban landscape. A church, synagogue or memorial may tell a more precise story than national religious statistics can.