ABSTRACT
In the first half of the fourth century the Emperor Constantine or one of his successors built a church on the site to honour Peter. Catholics very often use the term 'the Vatican' meaning the papal administration, although in fact many papal offices are elsewhere in Rome, some at a distance from the Vatican Palace itself. Many people think that it is as sovereign of the Vatican City State that the pope sends and receives ambassadors, but this is not so. He does so in his capacity as head of the Holy See, the administrative body of the Catholic Church. The General Affairs department deals with all communications to the Holy See, and therefore has within it officials who specialise in the main modern languages, but also Latin, which is still the official language of major Vatican documents.
