US embassy cable - 02VATICAN819

UNCLAS VATICAN 000819 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI), EUR/PA/PD (HILTON), EUR/RHA 
(BINDENAGEL), EUR/AGS, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, GM, VT 
SUBJECT: VATICAN ARCHIVES - POPE ORDERS PARTIAL OPENING FOR 
NAZI GERMANY AND WORLD WAR II DOCUMENTS 
 
1.   POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS ORDERED THE PARTIAL OPENING OF 
THE VATICAN ARCHIVES FOR MATERIAL RELATING TO THE PERIOD 
LEADING TO AND DURING WORLD WAR II. IN A FEBRUARY 15 
STATEMENT THE VATICAN'S CHIEF ARCHIVIST SAID THAT FROM THE 
BEGINNING OF 2003 MATERIAL FROM PIUS XI'S PONTIFICATE HELD 
BY THE VATICAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PERTAINING TO BAVARIA (1922- 
1939) AND GERMANY (1922-1939), AND IN THE VATICAN SECRET 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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ARCHIVE FROM THE APOSTOLIC NUNCIATURE IN MUNICH (1922-1934) 
AND BERLIN (1922-1930) WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO 
RESEARCHERS. THE COMPLETE RELEASE OF ALL DOCUMENTATION 
RELATING TO PIUS XI'S PONTIFICATE IS STILL SOME THREE YEARS 
AWAY WHEN ACCORDING TO THE VATICAN STATEMENT, MATERIAL ON 
VATICAN-GERMANY ISSUES DURING THE PONTIFICATE OF PIUS XII 
(1939-1958) WILL ALSO BE RELEASED. 
 
2.   ARCHIVAL MATERIAL RELATING TO PRISONERS DURING WORLD 
WAR II WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FROM 2003. THE VATICAN 
STATEMENT POINTED OUT THAT THE RELEASE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION 
WOULD "REVEAL TO HISTORIANS THE GREAT WORKS OF CHARITY AND 
ASSISTANCE CARRIED OUT BY PIUS XII ON BEHALF OF THE NUMEROUS 
PRISONERS AND OTHER WAR VICTIMS, FROM WHATEVER NATION, 
RELIGION AND RACE." 
 
3.   THE VATICAN STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTED THAT THIS 
EXTRAORDINARY DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL VATICAN ARCHIVE 
PROCEDURES WAS EXPRESSLY ORDERED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II, IN 
THE HOPE THAT THE GESTURE WOULD "CONTRIBUTE TO THE END OF 
UNJUST AND UNWELCOME SPECULATION." 
 
4.   COMMENT: THE DECISION TO PARTIALLY OPEN THE VATICAN 
ARCHIVES RELATING TO VATICAN-GERMAN RELATIONS DURING THE 
LEAD UP TO WORLD WAR II AND DURING THE WAR ITSELF APPEARS TO 
BE AN ATTEMPT BY THE POPE TO SILENCE ACCUSATIONS OF ANTI- 
SEMITISM LEVELED AGAINST HIS PREDECESSOR PIUS XII. IT MAY 
ALSO HERALD RENEWED VATICAN INTEREST IN BEATIFYING PIUS XII 
- FREE FROM THE PALL OF SCANDAL AND DERISION. THE DECISION 
BY POPE JOHN PAUL II TO DISPENSE WITH STANDARD OPERATING 
PROCEDURES IN THIS CASE COMES AFTER YEARS OF VATICAN 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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PROTESTATIONS THAT THIS MATERIAL COULD NOT BE RELEASED 
BECAUSE IT WAS NOT YET PROPERLY CATALOGUED.  IN ADDITION, 
THE GENERAL ARGUMENT WAS FORWARDED THAT MUCH ARCHIVAL 
MATERIAL WAS "SENSITIVE" AND MIGHT EMBARRASS LIVING PERSONS, 
AND THUS SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED UNTIL AFTER A PROPER PERIOD 
OF TIME - CURRENTLY 70 YEARS.  TODAY'S DECISION SHOWS THAT 
WHEN THE POPE IS CONCERNED ENOUGH ABOUT CHURCH INTERESTS, HE 
WILL DO AWAY WITH THE VATICAN'S STANDARD OPERATING 
PROCEDURES IN ORDER TO FURTHER THOSE INTERESTS. THE DECISION 
SHOWS THAT WHATEVER THE POPE WANTS, DOES IN FACT HAPPEN. 
END COMMENT. NICHOLSON 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002VATICA00819 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED