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01/03/12

'Secret' Archive in Vatican Opened in Public Display - WSJ.com

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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.

Documentsdatingfrom1939theyeartheWorldWarIIera pontiff,PiusXII,tookofficearekeptlockedbehindmetal fences.Vaticanofficialshavesaidtheyneedtimetoindexthe

files,buttheissueisoneofpapalprerogative. PopeBenedictXVI,orhissuccessors,willdecidewhenthose documentsaremadepublic.Fortheexhibit,however,the Vaticanappearstohaveallowedatleastonesuchdocumentto slippastthefences.


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01/03/12

'Secret' Archive in Vatican Opened in Public Display - WSJ.com

AmongthelettersondisplayisanApril1944memorandum fromaRomepriesttoGiovanniBattistaMontini,atopVatican bishopwhowouldlaterbecomePopePaulVI. Aweekearlier,Nazitroopshadmassacredhundredsofpeople nearcatacombsontheoutskirtsofRomeandhadtriedtocover uptheactbysealingthebodiesinsideaquarry. "Thereisapileofcorpses.Sixcanbeseenclearly,"thememo states,describingoneoftheyoungervictimsashaving"three fingerswhosefleshhasbeenstrippedoffinearliertorture." "Anotherhasdughisnailsinthechestofhiscomradewhohas fallenbeneathhim,asifhewastryingtogetupforthelast

VaticanSecretArchives

DocumentsrelatedtothetrialofGalileoGalileiarepart oftheexhibition.

time,"thememostates. Thearchivehasatorturedhistory. BishopSergioPagano,headofthearchive,recalledhowinearliercenturieshispredecessorswerethrownin Vaticandungeonsforreleasingpapalfiles.WhenNapoleonBonaparteconqueredRome,hemovedtheentire archivetoFrance.Withhisreignended,thousandsofdocumentsweredestroyedinacull,becausethearchive wasdeemedtoomassivetoreturntoRomeinitsentirety. WritetoStacyMeichtryatstacy.meichtry@wsj.com AversionofthisarticleappearedMar.1,2012,onpageA11insomeU.S.editionsofTheWallStreetJournal, withtheheadline:Vatican's'SecretArchives'OpentoPublicView.

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