The keeper of the Vatican's secrets is revealing century-ol…

The keeper of the Vatican's secrets is revealing century-old ...

• The Vatican is working to change the perception of its archives as entirely secret by renaming the "Secret Archives" to the "Vatican Apostolic Archive" and opening files related to Pope Pius XII.
• Archbishop Sergio Pagano, the archive's prefect for 45 years, shares insights in his new book "Secretum," revealing lesser-known historical details about the Vatican.
• Significant historical events discussed by Pagano include Napoleon's 1810 sacking of the archive, the Galileo affair, and the 1922 conclave financed by U.S. Catholic donations.
• The Vatican Apostolic Archive, accessible to scholars since 1881, contains 85 kilometers of documentation from various papacies, councils, and global embassies.
• Recent scholarly focus on Pope Pius XII, criticized for his silence during the Holocaust, led Pope Francis to order the early release of related documents in 2020.
• Pagano criticizes Pius XII's post-war silence on Nazi atrocities, suggesting it was influenced by concerns over a Jewish state and the Vatican's historical support for Palestinians.
• He expresses dissatisfaction with the incomplete research for Pius XII's sainthood cause, noting that Jesuit researchers did not use the full archive for their dossier.
• The book reveals the financial ties between the U.S. church and the Vatican, particularly during the 1922 conclave when the Vatican faced a financial crisis.
• Pagano discloses that the Vatican urgently requested funds from U.S. churches to facilitate the conclave, highlighting its financial dependence on American Catholics.
• The renaming of the archive may be a strategic move by Pope Francis to improve its image and attract donations from wealthy U.S. church members.
• Pagano showcases a significant 1530 letter from British nobles to Pope Clement VII regarding King Henry VIII's annulment request, which he successfully hid from Napoleon's forces.
• The refusal to grant the annulment led to King Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn and the formation of the Anglican Church.
• Pagano highlights the clever preservation of the document during Napoleon's seizure of the archives, as it was hidden in a secret drawer of a chair.
• Maintaining the integrity of such documents is a key responsibility of an archivist, and Pagano takes pride in this aspect of his work.