On the status of the Holy See in international law

On September 20, 1870, troops of the King of Italy, acting in defiance of an agreement with France whereby Italy pledged to France not to attack what was left of the Pope's territory - the Patrimony of St. Peter - marched on Rome, and the city's walls and gates were battered by cannon. Pius IX gave the order to capitulate and Italy was at last united. But the refusal of the Pope to admit the legitimacy of the fait accompli, together with the conflicting opinions of a multitude of writers on International Law and the Roman Question, and the unique position of the Supreme Pontiff, have given rise - in academic circles, if not in practice, - to considerable confusion as to the status of the Holy See in International Law.peer-reviewe