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The Holocaust-Era Archives of Pope Pius XII: The State of the Question

Virtual Event
A portrait of Pope Pius XII taken at Castel Gandolfo in the early 1950s. Courtesy of Michael Pitcairn & C. Harrison Conroy

A portrait of Pope Pius XII taken at Castel Gandolfo in the early 1950s. Courtesy of Michael Pitcairn & C. Harrison Conroy

For decades, the Museum and many others have called for the opening of the wartime Vatican archives—16 million pages that could shed light on the actions of Pope Pius XII and his fellow church leaders as millions of Jews and other victims were being murdered across Europe. At last, in 2019, Pope Francis announced they would open in 2020, stating “The Church is not afraid of history.”

You are invited to this webinar about the significance of these archives and this scholarship for Jewish-Christian relations. Following reflections by Vatican archivist Piero Doria, leading scholars—including the Museum’s Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming—will discuss their initial findings and how these documents may lead to a new understanding of this history.

Co-presented by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem, and the Museum's Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust.

Moderator
Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Director of the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem

Speakers
Suzanne Brown-Fleming, Director of International Academic Programs, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
David Kertzer, Paul Dupee University Professor of Social Science, Brown University
Robert Ventresca, Professor of History, King’s University College at Western University

This program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

Please register with the email address associated with your Zoom account. Visit zoom.us to sign up for a free account.

For more information, please contact cjlearning@bc.edu.