106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 253

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress strongly objecting to any effort to expel the Holy See from

the United Nations as a state participant by removing its status as a Permanent Observer.

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 253

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas the Holy See is the governing authority of the sovereign state of Vatican City;

Whereas the Holy See has an internationally recognized legal

personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the juridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic

representatives;
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•HCON 253 EH

Whereas the diplomatic history of the Holy See began over

1,600 years ago, during the 4th century A.D., and the

Holy See currently has formal diplomatic relations with

169 nations, including the United States, and maintains

179 permanent diplomatic missions abroad;

Whereas, although the Holy See was an active participant in

a wide range of United Nations activities since 1946 and

was eligible to become a member state of the United Nations, it chose instead to become a nonmember state with

Permanent Observer status over 35 years ago, in 1964;

Whereas, unlike the governments of other geographically

small countries such as Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, and

Liechtenstein, the Holy See does not possess a vote in

the General Assembly of the United Nations;

Whereas, according to a July 1998 assessment by the United

States Department of State, ‘‘[t]he United States values

the Holy See’s significant contributions to international

peace and human rights’’;

Whereas during the past year certain organizations that oppose the views of the Holy See regarding the sanctity of

human life and the value of the family as the basic unit

of society have initiated an organized effort to pressure

the United Nations to remove the Permanent Observer

status of the Holy See; and

Whereas the removal of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer

status would constitute an expulsion of the Holy See

from the United Nations as a state participant: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—
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1 (1) commends the Holy See for its strong com2 mitment to fundamental human rights, including the

3 protection of innocent human life both before and

4 after birth, during its 36 years as a Permanent Ob5 server at the United Nations;

6 (2) strongly objects to any effort to expel the

7 Holy See from the United Nations as a state partici8 pant by removing its status as a nonmember state

9 Permanent Observer;

10 (3) believes that any degradation of the status

11 accorded to the Holy See at the United Nations

12 would seriously damage the credibility of the United

13 Nations by demonstrating that its rules of participa14 tion are manipulable for ideological reasons rather

15 than being rooted in neutral principles and objective

16 facts of sovereignty; and

17 (4) expresses the concern that any such deg18 radation of the status accorded to the Holy See

19 would seriously damage relations between the United

20 Nations and member states that find in the Holy

21 See a moral and ethical presence with which they
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1 can work effectively in pursuing humanitarian ap2 proaches to international problems.

Passed the House of Representatives July 11, 2000.

Attest:

Clerk.