The Vatican puts new archives of the Pius XII pontificate online

An encyclical from the archives of Pius XII, on the occasion of a preview opening of the archives, on February 27, 2020 at the Vatican.

REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

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The Secretariat of State has announced the online publication of thousands of documents relating to Jews and their request for protection under the pontificate of Pope Pius XII.

Funds which make it possible to better understand the role of the Holy See at that time towards Jews, for the vast majority converted to Catholicism, even if many gray areas have not yet been lifted on this pontificate.

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With our correspondent in Rome,

Éric Sénanque

This fund is constituted during the end of the pontificate of Pope Pius XI after the adoption of the Italian racial laws of 1938 which persecute the Jews.

Many Catholics of Jewish origin, persecuted by the state, appealed to the Vatican to provide them with protection.

The historian Nina Vabousquet, researcher at the French school in Rome, has been working on these archives for several years:

Several other files were added to this collection, during the years 1939, 1940, 1941, especially at the beginning of the pontificate of Pius XII, which greatly concern aid for emigration.

But in fact, the vast majority of these Jews in the Vatican are Catholics of Jewish descent. 

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From the 40,000 documents, 70% of which have already been digitized, the humanitarian role that the Holy See and Pope Pius XII played with these Jews emerges.

In particular, we learn of the existence of an emigration network in Brazil where more than 900 people will be exiled to flee persecution.

An incomplete effort

This effort of transparency by the Holy See is commendable, according to Nina Valbousquet, but remains incomplete if we want to get a more precise idea of ​​the true role of Pius XII and the Holy See vis-à-vis the Jews.

We can't redo the story of these people if we don't look elsewhere, in the other Vatican archives, for the other corresponding files.

That is to say that there are the funds of the nunciature of France, for example, in the apostolic archives.

They are not the same archives and they are not digitized.

So if we just take this background alone, let's say it's not much use. 

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The rest of the archives of this "Jewish fund" should soon be accessible, the Vatican has promised.

Researchers around the world continue to delve into the documents of the pontificate of Pius XII, opened two years ago, to shed light on one of the most controversial pontificates in history. 

► To read also: 

Opening of the archives of Pope Pius XII: "The scoop race exists but will make people disappointed"

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