State Dept human rights report exempts Vatican City

This diary is cross posted to my blog, where you'll find the links to the many State Dept reports and pages mentioned below.

For 24 years the U.S. has recognized Vatican City as a city/state, and as such, we've extended full diplomatic courtesies, including appointing ambassadors and even establishing an embassy, separate from the one with Italy, with the Holy See. The Vatican City embassy web site gives some history:

   Formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See were established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. The mission works in partnership with the Holy See on global issues including HIV/AIDS, world hunger, religious freedom and human rights. As a global entity, the Holy See is influential on many issues and has far-reaching influence in even the most remote corners of the world.

That's quite an enormous agenda with have with the Vatican, especially given the fact that it has a population of around 1,000. Yes, the Vatican has tremendous sway over vital matters of mutual concern with the U.S., and the city/state should be judged on its human rights record and actions by the State Department when preparing its annual human rights report.

But Vatican City has never been included in the State Department's influential yearly survey. Even the tiny republic of San Marino is rated for human rights matters by the department, showing that the small size of a recognized state is no reason to exclude a country, so why is Vatican City granted an exemption?

You won't find a human rights evaluation on Vatican City from the State Department for 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, or 1999.

Why does the U.S. government treat Vatican City equal to any other European country, in official diplomatic terms and exchange of ambassadors, and then stops short of holding the Holy See accountable for its human rights practices and statements?

•  A good and interesting question n/t

  by sfbob on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:26:54 AM PDT

  •  But there's probably a mundane answer

    For one thing, I don't think anyone is a natural-born citizen of the Vatican.

    by Demi Moaned on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:48:32 AM PDT

•  Shrug

  Maybe cause no one who actually lives in the VC could complain about VC policies.  

  by Iowa Dem on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:29:52 AM PDT

•  maybe it would

  annoy too many people if VC was rated #1

  by buzzsaw on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:30:51 AM PDT

•  I am struggling to understand

  the point of this Diary, unless you are somehow suggesting or implying that the Catholic Church engages in human rights violations.  If so, that is outrageous unless you can support such assertions.  If not, then once again, what is the point of this Diary other than to make some sort of inconsequential point?  I look forward to being educated.      

  by JTRicher on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:31:38 AM PDT

  •  Some (actually many) argue that

    certain forms of religious education amount to child abuse.  For example, adults who are raised in certain Catholic churches often have higher rates of depression, guilt and anxiety.  

    Plus there is the sexual abuse issue and how the Catholic church has handled some of that.  Or even the Pope's position on family planning and contraception use vis-a-vis AIDS in Africa and elsewhere.

    Google and Amazon will both bring up lots of hits on these topics.  

    A seminal work is: James G. Dwyer, Parents Religion and Children's Welfare: Debunking the Doctrine of Parents' Rights, 82 California L. Rev. 1371 (1994, plus a later book he wrote than I can't recall off the top of my head.

    I hold no opinion on the matter.

    by Kab ibn al Ashraf on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:39:18 AM PDT

    •  Vatican City != the Catholic Church

      Any human rights issues would, as with other states, cover only the treatment of its 800 citizens.

      by Elwood Dowd on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:41:32 AM PDT

      •  Ah no.

        For example, US human rights abuses can and do extend beyond its geographical borders and its own internal domestic population.

        And the same would be true of the leadership of Vatican City.

        by Kab ibn al Ashraf on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:43:52 AM PDT

        •  That isn't so.

          Yes, a broad definition of "human rights" covers that.
          But the State Department reports focus on the internals: freedom of speech, religion, trials, etc.

          Where countries are at war or in a civil war, external issues may come up.

          (And it's nonsense to use the US as an example here, because we don't give ourselves a report card.)

          by Elwood Dowd on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:49:42 AM PDT

          •  Thanks.

            Yes, a broad definition of "human rights" covers that.

            Of course, don't read the article or book I suggested.

            It might challenge your worldview.

            by Kab ibn al Ashraf on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:58:58 AM PDT

•  Everyone in VC is an old priest

  I'm not sure how many people they are waterboarding right now, but I'm sure it's less than the US, which is also left off the yearly survey.

  by rdxtion on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:36:15 AM PDT

•  A better question

  Given the Bush administration's appalling record on human rights, isn't it grossly hypocritical for the US government to criticize any other country on that basis?

  by Korkenzieher on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 11:47:46 AM PDT

•  It's Holy See, not Vatican City.

  Don't conflate the two. It's important to keep it up front--The Vatican City does not conduct diplomatic relations. In violation of the constitution, the US maintains diplomatic relations with a church, not a sovereign state. Our government puts one religion above all others. This goes one further than any other nation that has a state church or religion--we give rank and status to the Roman Catholic Church that is given to no other.

  This is an important diplomatic and constitutional distinction. Most Americans don't realize that we maintain diplomatic relations with a church. Only one.

  by homogenius on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 12:24:36 PM PDT