The secret archives of the Vatican contain the original transcripts of the Inquisition against Galileo, a letter from Henry VIII asking for divorce, records of trials in the case of heresy over the Knights Templar, and a note from Michelangelo asking for the payment of wages to his workers. And these are just some of the documents that we know about. What else can the centuries-old secret archives of the Vatican hide? And can these documents shed light on the hidden papal influence on global world events?
With the vast majority of the archive's contents inaccessible to the public, speculation abounds, from a huge collection of papal pornography to evidence that the church supported the Holocaust. Many theories focus on subjects that could undermine the authority of the church. Has the secrecy been overblown, or is the Vatican hiding information that will shake the world?
Vatican Secret Archives Vault.
Known by its Latin name Archivum Secretum Vaticanum, the secret archive contains the popes' personal correspondence and important documents dating back to the 9th century. (The word “secretum,” although translated as “secret,” refers more to “private.”) In the 17th century, Pope Paul V, the man who brought Galileo to justice, decided to separate the Secret Archives from the main collection of the Vatican Library.
The collections are still close by, north of the Sistine Chapel. The Secret Archives contain 53 miles of shelving, some of which are in a fireproof, climate-controlled, two-story underground bunker next to the main Apostolic Library.
Many of the declassified documents relate to historical moments and leaders: one of them is a letter from Henry VIII of 1527 asking for a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. As the years passed without the approval of Pope Clement VII, Henry VIII reached out to his Protestant advisers, broke with the Catholic Church, and helped start the Reformation.
Another is a letter to Pope Pius IX from Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. A note thanking Pius IX for his “feelings of Christian goodness and love” in the midst of “the most brutal oppression and horrible massacre” led to a debate about whether the Pope supported the Confederation beyond general consolation and peace.
Galileo in front of the Holy Office at the Vatican, where he was convicted by the Inquisition Tribunal for defending Copernicus theories.
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In 1984, the Vatican announced that it would release the transcripts of the trial of the heresy of Galileo Galilei, who in 1633 was forced to recant his claim that the earth revolves around the sun. In 1992, Pope John Paul II officially admitted that Galileo was right, and the Roman Inquisition misinterpreted the matter.
Toxic news
In the absence of detailed information, wild theories about the Vatican's secret archives were spread. For many years, people have speculated about whether the Church is hiding information that could challenge Catholic doctrine and invalidate the papal authority. Could there be hidden evidence of alien presence on Earth? Did the writer Dan Brown have reliable information when he wrote that Jesus had a secret child with Mary Magdalene? Do the Vatican's secret archives contain the world's largest collection of pornography?
One of the key factors in the unavailability of archives is the fragility of documents. Centuries-old pieces of parchment can crumble into dust when handled. A very small percentage of the collection has been digitized, but different writing styles make it difficult to recognize words with optical character recognition (OCR) programs. Scientists are currently working on a project called In Codice Ratio, which combines OCR with artificial intelligence to analyze writing styles and study how they form letters and words.
Eternal secrets
The mystery surrounding the legendary archives has been reinforced by the word “secret,” the involvement of such a formidable institution as the Catholic Church, and the influence of pop culture, in which Dan Brown's novels about the scientist Robert Langdon have played an important role. But this does not mean that there is nothing to hide … If the church had documents that could refute its own teaching or put previous popes in an extremely unfavorable light, it is likely that such documents would be buried in a bunker away from prying eyes.
Pope Pius XII was a controversial pope who kept quiet about the fate of Jews during the Holocaust.
The mystery surrounding the legendary archives has been reinforced by the word “secret,” the involvement of such a formidable institution as the Catholic Church, and the influence of pop culture, in which Dan Brown's novels about the scientist Robert Langdon have played an important role. But this does not mean that there is nothing to hide … If the church had documents that could refute its own teaching or put previous popes in an extremely unfavorable light, it is likely that such documents would be buried in a bunker away from prying eyes.
Pope Pius XII is a prime example. In 1999, British journalist John Cornwell published a book entitled Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII. Drawing on newly emerging documents from archives prior to 1939, he portrayed Pius XII as the man who helped Hitler rise to power, downplayed the Holocaust, and dealt with Nazi finance through the Vatican Bank. In 2005, American historian and rabbi David J. Dalin responded with The Myth of Hitler's Pope, which drew on even more documents claiming that Pius XII saved hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Even if the Secret Archives release their Pius XII documents, it is unclear whether they will be able to whitewash or denounce the wartime pontiff.
The ban on the publication of documents after 1939 also prevents researchers from seeking information on other serious issues, such as the extent and consequences of sexual violence in the Catholic Church.
As for the more leftist speculation about what is hidden in the secret archives, especially about aliens and pornography … the answers may vary, respectively. The archives may indeed contain information relating to aliens, but there is no reason to believe that this is true.
The rumor of pornography appears to have been started or at least immortalized by the Copenhagen Erotica Museum, which allegedly informed visitors that the world's largest collection of pornography is in the Vatican Library and / or the Secret Archives. This is not at all true, but the Renaissance artist Raphael did paint erotic images in the papal apartments of the Vatican in 1516.
See everything with your own eyes
Until the papacy of Leo XIII (1878–1903), even qualified scholars of Christianity were not allowed to delve into the Vatican's Secret Archives. But in an attempt to solidify the role of the Church in Italian history, Leo XIII granted access to researchers in 1881.
An exhibition in 2012 at the Capitoline Museums of Rome, where for the first time exhibits from the Vatican Secret Archives are presented, dating from the 8th century BC. until the 20th.
Although the archives can currently host up to 60 visiting researchers per day, those who have gained access are not allowed to view documents dating back to 1939, except in small, specially issued batches related to specific items and events. 1939 was marked by both the outbreak of World War II and the first year of the reign of Pope Pius XII. This means that classified information can touch on such dangerous topics as the Pope's relationship with Hitler and Mussolini, as well as his knowledge and level of intervention in the Holocaust.
If you are a scientist working on a research project and you have documentation to prove it, you can apply for access to the Secret Archives. If approved, you can spend up to three consecutive months studying archival material in the reading room.
Similar requirements apply when registering for the main Vatican Library.
But don't despair, friends! If you're not quite a scholar, or can't make the trip to the Vatican, visit DigiVatLib, a free online repository for the library's digitized collection. In the meantime, the Vatican Library is still in the process of digitizing its 80,000 manuscripts. But, of course, secrets remain …