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One might imagine that the precise design specifications of the Vatican flag would be laid out for anyone to access,like they are for the flag of the United States, for example.But they arent. The best the Vatican provides is a web page with a verbal description and history of the flag, along with alow-resolution image showing a square version.

Becker told CNA that the saga of the Vatican flag on Wikipedia demonstrates a need for the Vatican to step in and clarify exactly what its flag should look like, especially considering the fact that Catholic churches all over the world display the Vatican flag.

It was precisely this lack of clarity on the official design of the Vatican flag that led Becker tocreate a websitedetailing, as best as he could, the correct design for the flag.

Cultural communities in general have turned to flags in a stunning way, Becker commented, citing in part a proliferation of cheaply made, mass-produced flags. And, anecdotally, there seems to be an ever-increasing interest in the Vatican flag as a way for Catholics to claim an identity, whether by flying a flag at home, waving it at a papal event, or by putting one in their social media profile picture.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Vatican flag is less than 100 years old, as is Vatican City itself. For more than a millennium before 1870, the pope ruled over the Papal States, large regions mainly within present-day Italy. After the Vatican lost control of the Papal States, it found itself a tiny island surrounded by an acrimonious Italy. It took nearly 60 years until the ratification of the Lateran Accords of 1929 ushered in harmony between the Vatican and Italy, and the creation of the worlds smallest sovereign country.

In the days of the Papal States, many different flags were used, but the yellow and white color scheme was a common feature. Becker said the modern design was first used by the merchant fleet in the Papal States from 1825 to 1870. In 1929, that design was chosen as the new flag of Vatican City, the sovereign country.

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Wikipedia had the wrong Vatican City flag for years. Now incorrect flags are everywhere - Catholic News Agency