IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 253
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.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 16, 2000
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. HYDE, Mr. ARMEY, Mr. BARCIA,
Mr. DELAY, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. JOHN, Mr. PITTS, Ms. ROS-
LEHTINEN, Mr. RYAN
of Wisconsin, Mr. SHERWOOD, and Mr.
TANCREDO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on International Relations
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 Perma-
nent Observer.
Whereas the Holy See is the governing authority of the sov-
ereign state of Vatican City;
Whereas the Holy See has an internationally recognized legal
personality that allows it to enter into treaties as the ju-
ridical equal of a state and to send and receive diplomatic
representatives;
Whereas the diplomatic history of the Holy See began over
1,600 years ago, during the 4th century A.D., and the
•HCON 253 IH
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 Na-
tions, 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 op-
pose 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
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) commends the Holy See for its strong com-
mitment to fundamental human rights, including the
•HCON 253 IH
protection of innocent human life both before and
after birth, during its 36 years as a Permanent Ob-
server at the United Nations;
(2) strongly objects to any effort to expel the
Holy See from the United Nations as a state partici-
pant by removing its status as a nonmember state
Permanent Observer;
(3) believes that any degradation of the status
accorded to the Holy See at the United Nations
would seriously damage the credibility of the United
Nations by demonstrating that its rules of participa-
tion are manipulable for ideological reasons rather
than being rooted in neutral principles and objective
facts of sovereignty; and
(4) expresses the concern that any such deg-
radation of the status accorded to the Holy See
would seriously damage relations between the United
Nations and member states that find in the Holy
See a moral and ethical presence with which they
can work effectively in pursuing humanitarian ap-
proaches to international problems.
Æ