Pope Visits Italian Embassy To Mark Upcoming Lateran Treaty Anniversary

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday visited the Italian embassy to the Holy See to mark February's upcoming 80th anniversary of the Lateran Treaty. The Treaty established Vatican City as an independent state, separating it from Italy. Zenit reports that Benedict is the fourth pope to make such a visit. In his remarks, the Pope called separation of church and state "one of the great advances of humanity," and said that the separation implemented by the Treaty is "a fundamental condition for [the Church's] very liberty and the fulfillment of its universal mission of salvation among all peoples." However he asked for cooperation between church and state that share common ideals of justice, solidarity and peace, saying that the Church has a duty "to awaken moral and spiritual forces in society."