An agreement was signed today in the Vatican between the Holy See and the Principality of Andorra, which "further strengthens the traditional relations of cooperation between the two parties". The news was relayed by the Vatican newsroom, which stated that card. Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, signed on behalf of the Holy See, and the head of the government Albert Pintat signed on behalf of the Principality of Andorra. As is known, the bishop of Urgell (Spanish diocese) has been for over 700 years the co-Prince of Andorra, which has always had "a special relationship with the Catholic Church": in 1993, it gave itself a Constitution to run the Co-Principality, which dates back to 1278, the time of Martin IV’s papacy. The co-Princes who are the bishop of Urgell and the President of the French Republic act "jointly and inseparably" as heads of state. The agreement signed between the Holy See and the Principality of Andorra, to be enforced after exchanging the deeds of ratification, contains some articles about the bishop of Urgell, the legal status of the Catholic Church in Andorra, canonical marriage, the teaching of religion at school, the economic system of the Catholic Church. Located on the Pyrenees, the Principality of Andorra covers 498 square kilometres, between France and Spain. In 2007, its population was 71,822.
