Vatican News
There are also unknown documents here, e.g., concerning the internment of Cardinal Wyszyński.
Groundbreaking Work
Recently, a publication by Fr. Dr. Adam Szpotański titled “Inventory of the Historical Archive of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Pius XII Collection, vol. 1 (2025)” was released.
The book presents the resources of the Historical Archive of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, including documents particularly important for researchers of Poland’s recent history, primarily from the period of World War II and the post-war years, up to the end of Pius XII’s pontificate in 1958.
“These materials were declassified relatively recently. It should be emphasized that until now, researchers have not had access to them,” notes Dr. Sebastian Pilarski, director of the IPN’s Historical Research Office. “One could say that we are opening the doors to an archive where historians will find a huge amount of invaluable information concerning Polish history,” he adds.
Relations between the Communist State and the Church
The inventory was created as part of a research project dedicated to relations between the communist state and the Catholic Church and other religious denominations after 1945. The Institute of National Remembrance is currently conducting extensive research on Polish history from 1917-1990, including German and Soviet occupation, social resistance after 1945, the activities of the independence underground, political crises of the Polish People’s Republic, the functioning of the security apparatus, as well as Polish-Jewish relations and the extermination of Jews in occupied Polish territories.
Idea and Surprise during Work
“One of the statutory tasks of the IPN is to conduct as broad research as possible on the fate of Poland and Poles based on foreign archives,” emphasizes Fr. Dr. Adam Szpotański, an employee of the IPN’s Wrocław branch, delegated to conduct research in the Vatican and prepare the publication.
As he admits, the greatest surprise for him was the wealth of materials stored by the Holy See concerning the situation of the Church in Poland. This documentation shows that Vatican officials did not rely solely on reports from Polish hierarchs but confronted them with information obtained from apostolic nuncios and diplomatic representatives in neighboring countries. This allows for a better understanding of the decision-making mechanisms in the Secretariat of State and the way the Holy See analyzed the situation of the Church in Eastern Bloc countries.
Archives concerning the internment of Cardinal Wyszyński
The first volume of the inventory covers documents from the Polish series in the Vatican archive. The second volume, currently in preparation, will contain a list of documents relating to Poland and Poles, found in other national and thematic series. Among the materials will also be previously unpublished archival documents concerning the internment of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, which constitutes a significant addition to the knowledge about state-Church relations during the Stalinist period.
Cooperation between IPN and the Secretariat of State
The publication of the inventory is the result of close cooperation between the Institute of National Remembrance and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. This partnership has not only a technical dimension but, above all, a scientific and institutional one. It enables Polish researchers systematic access to key Vatican sources and, at the same time, is part of a broader process of opening the archives of the Holy See to the international community.
This cooperation shows that reliable research on 20th-century history, especially on relations between the Church and totalitarian systems, requires dialogue and trust between state and ecclesiastical institutions. This initiative not only “opens the doors to the archive” but also creates a lasting platform for cooperation that may in the future lead to further joint research projects, editions of sources, and scientific conferences, deepening knowledge about the history of Poland and the role of the Holy See in the dramatic events of the 20th century.
