Pope Francis: Pius XII archives
to open next year
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| Ven Pope Pius XII among the people following the bombing of Rome during World War II |
The announcement was made during an audience for managers
and staff of the Vatican Secret Archives, which took place on the occasion of
the 80th anniversary of the election of Pius XII as Bishop of Rome.
By Christopher Wells
Reflecting on the reign of “the Servant of God Pius XII, of
venerable memory”, Pope Francis said that he “guided the Barque of Peter in one
of the saddest and darkest moments of the twentieth century”. The figure of
Pius XII, he said, “has already been investigated and studied”, and widely
discussed and even criticized – at times in a prejudiced or exaggerated manner.
Today, he said, the pontificate of Pius XII is being re-evaluated, in the hopes
that a more balanced historical judgement might emerge.
To further those efforts, the Pope said that Vatican
archival materials pertaining to Pius’ pontificate (1939-1958) will be
accessible to scholars beginning on 2 March 2020.
Archival work cultivates memory
Pope Francis thanked the Vatican archivists for the hard
work they have undertaken since 2006 to make a careful inventory of the materials
on Pope Pius XII, and to prepare to make them available for consultation.
Archival work “cultivates memory”, he said. “In a certain sense… it could be
compared to the cultivation of a majestic tree, whose branches reach to the
heavens, but whose roots are solidly anchored in the earth”. If the Church is
like the tree, the archivists work to keep its historical roots alive, so that
“even the greenest and youngest branches can draw from them good sap for
further growth”.
In announcing the opening of the archives for the
pontificate of Pius XII, Pope Francis said he made the decision “with a serene
and confident soul, certain that serious and objective historical research will
be able to evaluate it in its proper light.” “The Church is not afraid of
history,” Pope Francis said. “On the contrary, she loves it, and desires to
love it more and better, as God loves it”.
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