> I’m talking ALL OF THEIR ARCHIVES!!! Not just the WW-II section.... THE ENTIRE DAMNED LIBERRY!
Most people misunderstand what an “Archivum Secretum” (a “secret archive”) actually is. The word “secretum” can be translated to any of “separate/apart from”, “private, secret”, “remote”, or “hidden”.
Do you have a locked file cabinet? Then you have a “secret archive”. Does your company have files locked away in a place where they are generally not accessible except to those who need them? Then they have a “secret archive”. The government has a “secret archive” of classified documents.
Some of these documents are sensitive because they pertain to the reputation of others (this is especially important concerning those still living); others are simply very old documents that can’t withstand large amounts of handling.
Still others are “lost” because the Vatican Archives have so many documents and books in them.
Just because it exists in the Church’s possession doesn’t mean that any given Catholic has a right to access any or all of it. Non-Catholics certainly don’t have a right to. This is the same as the way that not just anybody should expect to see classified government documents, a private business’s documents, or the contents of your locked file cabinet.
That said, either when asked or on its own initiative the Vatican does make releases of documents from time to time, and also grants scholars permission to do research.
We are talking about wrong doing.
Dear GCC Catholic,
As a retired Army intel guy, also a historian and an archivist for the Army, I totally agree with your explanation in post #34. Well and honestly said.
Grey Friar
“Some of these documents are sensitive because they pertain to the reputation of others”
What would Jesus keep secret? I heard him say a lot about how to live, rebuking the wrong, forgiving them for their wrongs, but not a word about keeping it under wraps.
The church should have a reputation of zero tolerance for bad reputation activities. At least if they represent Jesus.