Pope Leo is a lifelong American citizen. But as Pope, he is also the leader of Vatican City, an internationally recognized sovereign nation. Can an American citizen lead a foreign nation? And can a Pope retain foreign citizenship? The answers are yes and yes — but it rarely happens. United States law allows dual citizenship….
The surprising election of the first American pope felt fraught and disorienting to Roman Catholics around the world, who had considered such an outcome unlikely and perhaps unwelcome — until Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and chose to speak a few sentences in Spanish. In an instant, the new…
People of Italian descent have for decades been able to dig through their family trees, find an Italian ancestor and apply for citizenship to Italy, securing a powerful passport that allows them to enter more countries without a visa than travelers of almost any other nationality. But so many have tried to claim the benefit…
The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that it would dismiss a case against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, in which the rocket company had been accused of discriminating against people based on their citizenship status. In an unopposed motion filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the Justice Department said it intended…
For two summers during high school, instead of joining her classmates at the beach, Noura Ghazoui had an internship at the town hall of her hometown, Borghetto Santo Spirito, on the Ligurian coast. But when she tried to apply for a job there at age 19, she found herself ineligible because, like hundreds of thousands…
Among the requirements for those seeking permanent residency or citizenship in Britain is a 24-question test designed to assess applicants’ knowledge of their adopted home, covering topics including rugby, the country’s first curry house and the War of the Roses. The test is supposed to prove that applicants have “sufficient knowledge of British values, history…