Vatican

## Vatican City

The Vatican's flag

The **Vatican** (バチカン, *Bachikan*?), also known as **Vatican City** (バチカン市国, ***Vatican City***?), is a sovereign city-state located within a walled enclave in the city of Rome, Italy. It is the central base of the Roman Catholic Church, the administration of which is also referred to as the Vatican. The name of the city/state comes from the Vatican Hill on which it is built.

A walled city-state inside another country, it practically represents the center of the magic side and is a symbolic contrast to the walled city-state of Academy City, the center of the science side.

## Background

Origins of the city begin with the death of St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles of the Son of God. According to Orsola Aquinas' theories, St. Peter himself intended the date and the place of his death (execution), taking into consideration what would happen several hundred years later after his death. The Croce di Pietro which was prepared even before St. Peter's death, was erected on St. Peter's grave on the June the 29th (the date would be the only time the artifact could be activated in the Vatican) some time after his death, it was the first time the cross has been activated. From then on the Vatican come to existence and flourished soon afterwards due to the effects of the artifact.

Later, when Constantine the Great recognized Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, as a sign of respect towards St. Peter, orders the construction St. Peter's Basilica. It is later finished, and built over the tomb of St. Peter. The Lombards would later hand over lands to the Vatican. From then on, the Vatican, known as the Papal States back then, would struggle for control over much of Italy with its neighbors such as Venice, even occupying, at its peak, the entirety of the city of Rome. The power of the Roman Catholic Church would later transfer from the Papal States to Avignon during the Avignon Papacy, necessitating in the creation of the Vatican–Avignon Ley line, though would later end after a few decades and the power restored to Rome.

The Vatican as it is known today was established when the Lateran Treaty was ratified by the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See in 1929, formally establishing the sovereignty of Vatican City under the name Vatican City State.

### Government and Politics

The Pope is the head of state, as well as the ruler of the Holy See, that is, the government of the Church whose influence extends far outside the city's walls. It also has a government staffed by clerics, the Roman Curia.

The Holy See is not a member of the United Nations, but has Permanent Observer status. Remarkably, this situation is the result of the Church's sense of honor: since the UN holds freedom and democracy as one of its highest values, and the Vatican is neither free nor democratic (as it is technically an absolute monarchy and all its inhabitants are either clergy or **Swiss Guards** (スイス人衛兵, ***Swiss Guards***?) oath-bound to obey the Pope), it declines full membership out of honesty. This isn't to say that the Church is opposed to freedom or democracy, but that the Vatican works best as it is.

## Chronology

### Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Document of Constantine Arc

*Main article: Document of Constantine Arc*
Some time before the beginning of the October riots, Acqua of the Back, along with the Pope, comes upon Terra of the Left drinking cheap wine, trying to replenish his strength. Acqua of the Back comments on Terra's taste on using cheap wine and is later scolded by the Pope for smirking at Terra's joke regarding his knowledge of wines despite being a mercenary. Terra of the Left prepares to leave, intending to use the Document of Constantine to cause mayhem among the constituents of the Church against Academy City in order to draw the Russian Orthodox Church to their side. Acqua of the Back objects to the use of civilians, but Terra of the Left states that it would be unnatural not to use the Church's vast human resources, much to Acqua of the Back's chagrin. Terra of the Left later leaves, and the Anti-Academy City October riots begin.

Terra of the Left returns to the Vatican and meets up with Acqua of the Back in St. Peter's Basilica. Even though the Document of Constantine was destroyed, Terra is satisfied with the results at the Russian Orthodox have been forced by the recent events that have transpired to ally themselves with the Roman Catholic Church. With the sides finally drawn for the War, Terra says that they should discuss how to move their troops from here on with Fiamma of the Right, and states that he wants to observe Academy City's response as well as the Imagine Breaker. Before he leaves, Acqua of the Back asks him if the information he has received that he used children and tourists on the outskirts of Rome to make some alignment adjustments for his Execution of Light spell. Terra of the Left responds callously and bluntly, and says that he did. He asks Acqua if such a thing is worth bringing up, to which he responds if wasn't supposed to act in order to save of humanity without discrimination. Terra says that is doing so, but states that pagans are not even human, and states that he made sure that the targets for his alignment adjustments were not believers in the Roman Catholic Church. Terra is annoyed about the subject Acqua is bringing up as he is too busy with trying to improve his spell.

Suddenly, Acqua of the Back takes a pillar from the basilica and smashes Terra of the Left in half. Terra is still alive and tried to use his spell to close his wounds but is unable to. Despite slowly dying, Terra's expression remained calm, believing that him even if he died, in the end he would be chosen by God in the Final Judgment and led to the Holy Kingdom. Seeing Terra's expression, Acqua tells Terra that there is no way he would be chosen by God, and mocks him for still being deluded, stating that the only place he'll be going to will be Hell.

#### Acqua of the Back Arc

*Main article: Acqua of the Back Arc*
The Pope after hearing of of Acqua's defeat, with Terra of the Left's death, and with Vento of the Front still incapacitated, he is apoched by Fiamma who finally comes out of hiding before Pope Matthai Reese. Fiamma reveals his true plans to the Pope, to the latter’s horror: he intends to bring England to its knees by using the alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox Churches that controls all of Europe, thus luring the Index Librorum Prohibitorum back to England. Seeing the Pope as a nuisance now that his use is forfeit, Fiamma intends to get rid of him. The Pope uses the privileges invested in him to wield the power the two billion Catholics of the world and the old power of St. Peter’s Basilica in an attempt to stop Fiamma, only for him to mock that awesome power.

Fiamma attacks, making the Vatican City’s wide range of magical circles go haywire while destroying one-third of St. Peter’s Basilica, sending the Pope flying one-hundred meters. Fiamma walks out unscathed, the Holy Right’s Third Arm manifesting, and exposes his end goal to the Pope: to draw out the full power of his Right Hand. For that, he needs to gather certain materials and the knowledge of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum to refine the power of the Right Hand. Fiamma attacks again with the intention to destroy everything, but the Pope takes in the attack by using his power, thus protecting Vatican City from complete destruction; it leaves him in a critical condition however. Fiamma leaves afterward to put his plan into motion.

## Locations

The locations listed below are locations which have been featured or referenced in some form within the series.

 Vatican Library | Library