The Holy See is the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church, which operates from the independent territory of the Vatican City State in Rome.

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Making sure the transition goes smoothly, Benedict made an important appointment Wednesday, naming the No. 2 administrator of the Vatican city state, Monsignor Giuseppe Sciacca, as a legal adviser to the camerlengo.

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Originally, the prosecutor had raised other possible charges of conspiracy, crimes against the Vatican City State, defamation and revealing state secrets (all Vatican employees are required to swear an oath of secrecy regarding everything they see and learn in the course of their duties).

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But Pope Benedict could finally be best remembered for his lonely decision to step down voluntarily as leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics and CEO of the minuscule Vatican City State - a decision made because he simply felt he was no longer up to the job.

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"He enjoys all the legal guarantees provided by the criminal code and criminal procedure in force in the State of Vatican City, " it added.

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In light of such precedents, the 108-acre sovereign territory of Vatican City State, mapped out on a page of the 1929 Lateran Pacts with Italy, seems a modest guarantee of the Holy See's independence (though the signature of Benito Mussolini on the page's lower right-hand corner does lend a sinister touch).

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As an aside, Lombardi referred to concerns over financial oversight in the city state, which have meant that Vatican shops and museums have not been able to accept credit or debit cards since January 1.

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The pope won't give the usual brief personal greetings to people afterward, but will meet delegations of heads of state in Vatican City later.

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