The Society of Jesus, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Polanco Foundation signed a Cooperation Agreement on February 27

Editorial (29/02/2024 06:30, Gaudium Press)

The objective of the agreement is to digitize and share thousands of pages of the Society of Jesus’ archives related to the Holocaust of the Jews during the Nazi regime. Subsequently, the project foresees that the documents will be made available in the reading room of the Museum, as well as other apostolic documents from the Vatican, where they will be accessible for consultation and reading by researchers and historians.

Zachary Levine, Director of Archival Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, emphasized the importance of the agreement during the ceremony held in Rome at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus.

Pope Pius XII Pontificate Holocaust Archives to be Digitized and Disclosed

Levine also highlighted the importance of the Jesuit archives in the project, which aims to disclose the archives of the Pontificate of Pius XII, as requested by Pope Francis in 2019. The digitization of thousands of documents belonging to the Jesuits about the Holocaust aims to contribute to the understanding of this historical period.

According to Levine, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum plans to contribute to the digitization of archives from other churches and convents in Rome, where many Jews were saved during World War II.

Father Antoine Kerhuel SJ, Secretary of the Society, explained that the agreement not only serves to preserve the documents but mainly aims to facilitate their use and promote culture and historical research.

The American ambassador, Joseph Donnelly, who was also present at the ceremony, thanked the Society of Jesus for granting access to its documents and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for promoting and disseminating history. 

Complied by Christopher Hurst with information from VaticanNews.