20 Euro – Francis Lateran Treaty

The Lateran Treaty of February 1929 resolved the "Roman Question" — the six-decade standoff between the Holy See and the Italian state that began when Piedmontese troops seized Rome in 1870. Mussolini's government and the Vatican signed three interlocking documents: a political treaty establishing Vatican City as a sovereign state, a concordat regulating the Church's position in Italy, and a financial convention compensating the Holy See for lost papal territories. Pope Pius XI, not Francis, signed for the Vatican.

The 2024 issue marks the treaty's 95th anniversary. No round-number jubilee — suggesting the mintage program is keyed to Francis's pontificate calendar rather than the anniversary itself.