Question: What is the reason for Rome having two capitals: Rome and Vatican City?
Comment: Because the Roman Church is a separate ‘State’ and is recognised as such by the ‘International Community’, and the UN.
Britannica: Church and state relations
The most important modification in the Roman Catholic theory and practice of Church-state relations was the declaration of Vatican II in which the Roman Catholic Church recognized the modern, secular, pluralistic nation as a valid political entity. Union of Church and state had been the common pattern since the era of Constantine, and all pontifical declarations of the 19th century rejected separation of Church and state as pernicious. This position was steadfastly maintained despite the fact that the separation of Church and state had been accepted by the Protestant countries of Europe; it reflected a long history of the state’s domination of the Church and the Church’s involvement in political power struggles. Vatican II declared that the Roman Catholic Church is not a political agent and will not ask for political support for ecclesiastical ends. A significant change in the Roman attitude toward the state was the council’s explicit endorsement of freedom of religion. Although they did not support any specific form of secular government, the popes of the 20th century, including John XXIII and John Paul II, asserted that the state must guarantee the human rights and personal dignity of all its citizens.
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