Vatican's 'Secret Archives'
Vatican's 'Secret Archives'
Vatican's 'Secret Archives'
EUROPENEWS
UpdatedFebruary29,2012,10:01p.m.ET
Vatican's'SecretArchives'OpentoPublicView
By STAC Y MEIC H TR Y
ROMETheVaticanisgivingthepublicarare,iftemporary,peekinsideitssecretarchive. OnWednesdaytheVaticankickedoffasixmonthexhibitatRome'sCapitolineMuseumthatwillplace100 documents,usuallylockedawayinthepope'spersonalarchive,ondisplay. ApapalbullexcommunicatingMartinLutherfromtheCatholicChurch;thejudicialactsofthetrialofGalileo Galilei;andaletterfromtheguillotineboundMarieAntoinette,arejustafewexamplesofthekindofhistory inthemakingdocumentsthatrarelyareseenbythegeneralpublic. TheexhibitispartofaVaticanefforttorebrandoneofits controversialinstitutions.TheVaticanSecretArchivesthe officialnameofthepapalarchivehavelongbeenasourceand symbolofintrigue,providingendlessfoddertoconspiracy theoristsandausefulbackdroptoatleastoneDanBrown novel. CriticshavelongaccusedtheVaticanofusingthearchiveto keephistoricallyrelevantandpotentiallydamaging documentssealedawayforages. Despitetherepository'sreputationforsecrecy,however, scholarsareactuallyallowedtoconsultmostofthearchive.
Eidon/ZumaPress
AregisteroftheoathsoffealtytoPopeInnocentVIis partoftheexhibit.
"Wedon'twantthismaterialtobekeptsecret,"VaticanarchivistEnricoFlaianitoldagroupofreportersthis weekasheguidedthemintoanundergroundbunkerthathousespartofthearchive. Beneathavastconcreteceiling,curledparchmentandcracked leatherbindingsfilledthedimlylitstacks. Mr.FlaianicastthearchiveasamerevictimofLatinlostin translation.ThedecisiontocalltheArchivumSecretum VaticanumtheVatican's"secretarchive"wasamistake,the archivistsaid,addingthathepreferredthetranslation "personalarchive." Still,partofthearchiveiscertainlykeptsecret.
Corbis
AvisitorreadsadocumentonWednesdayfromthe exhibitatRome'sCapitolineMuseum.
01/03/12
AmongthelettersondisplayisanApril1944memorandum fromaRomepriesttoGiovanniBattistaMontini,atopVatican bishopwhowouldlaterbecomePopePaulVI. Aweekearlier,Nazitroopshadmassacredhundredsofpeople nearcatacombsontheoutskirtsofRomeandhadtriedtocover uptheactbysealingthebodiesinsideaquarry. "Thereisapileofcorpses.Sixcanbeseenclearly,"thememo states,describingoneoftheyoungervictimsashaving"three fingerswhosefleshhasbeenstrippedoffinearliertorture." "Anotherhasdughisnailsinthechestofhiscomradewhohas fallenbeneathhim,asifhewastryingtogetupforthelast
VaticanSecretArchives
DocumentsrelatedtothetrialofGalileoGalileiarepart oftheexhibition.
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203986604577253623537366572.html?mod=slideshow_
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