The Vatican has posted online 142 years of documents, from Pope Pius IX to Benedict XVI, including unofficial texts relating to the period during the Second World War.
The official site of the Holy See (http://www.vatican.va) is offering access to the documents from the resource library, including papers of popes and of the Roman Curia, from 1865 until 2007.
Beginning with Pius IX, who served for almost 32 years in the 19th century, the official Vatican documents had been published on what are known as “Acta Sanctae Sedis” (Acts of the Holy See).
We all need to brush up on our Latin if the document I viewed is typical.
Heh, I’m sure you’re right, Adam. But this is still a very commendable step by the Vatican, helping to dispel the aura of secrecy that has hung over it for too long.
Although it’s not a directly comparable case, one has only to recall the strange historical fact that for decades the Vatican Library kept biblical scholars from viewing its most precious ancient biblical manuscript, Codex Vaticanus (“B” in modern printed Greek NTs). No satisfactory explanation for that rather bizarre policy has ever been offerred, but fortunately that problem was corrected over a century ago.
I’m particularly glad to see lots of stuff about Pius XII coming out. I I suspect he’s gotten a bum rap about being a pushover when it comes to the Holocaust and the unspeakable horror of the Nazi attempt to wipe out the Jews. [b]First Things[/b] has repeatedly devoted attention to that widespread, serious accusation. Hopefully, once full access to all the pertinent Vatican files is available online, that controversy can be settled once and for all.
David Handy+
[blockquote]Hopefully, once full access to all the pertinent Vatican files is available online, that controversy can be settled once and for all.[/blockquote]
Unfortunately, Father, in this climate, I don’t see ANYTHING settled once and for all. The revisionists we shall always have with us.. 😉