Rome - Italian laws do not automatically apply in the Vatican as of Thursday, owing to a ruling signed by Pope Benedict XVI designed to give the Holy See more autonomy.

Jose Maria Serrano Ruiz, president of the Vatican commission on law revisions, explained in the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano that there are too many Italian laws, many of which are not in line with Catholic doctrine.

Under the new ruling, which went into effect with the New Year, Italian laws and ordinances must be specifically ratified by the Vatican to have the effect of law.

The change revises the 80-year-old practice, agreed to in 1929 by Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini, by which the Vatican automatically took over Italian laws affecting Rome and the surrounding region for areas where the Holy See did not have its own ordnances.

The move was partially attributed to a recent Italian court ruling clearing the way for doctors to perform euthanasia on an Italian woman who has been in a coma for 16 years. (dpa)