Why does the pope live in Vatican City?

Answer 1

Well, honey, the Pope lives in Vatican City because it's the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It's like his fancy little home base where he can run the show and bless people like a boss. Plus, it's a sovereign city-state, so he can do his Pope thing without anyone raining on his parade.

Answer 2

Early in the history of the Church the headquarters was Rome as that city was considered the center of the world. The Roman Empire had good roads and ships were readily available to travel to anywhere in the empire. Later, the Papal States, covering a broad swath of land in central Italy was ruled by the pope until it was lost during the Italian reunification in the 19th century. In 1929 the Lateran Treaty the Vatican was ceded to the Catholic Church as an independent sovereign city state. It has been the home of the pope since then. Before 1929 the pope lived in a variety of locations in Rome and for seven decades the pope lived in Avignon, France.

Answer 3

Because there is a special church there called St. Peter's Basilica. He also has to live there because he is the leader of the Catholic Church.