Pope Benedict and the Vatican Archives

dublin | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis

Sunday July 02, 2006 21:21

by Chris Murray - The Unmanageables

The archives will be opened on September 18th 2006

Archives dating from the period 1922-1939 are to be opened by Pope Benedict on the
18th of September 2006.

"Giving new insight into what the Catholic Church knew and
did as Europe saw the rise of Nazism in Germany and the
Spainish Civil War"

The files are known as the Secret Archives and files of its
Secretariat of State for the Pontificate of Pius X1.

Reuters/ Irish Times :- (1-07-06).

www.ireland.com

Googled the Holy See, (as one does) to see if more info can be had on
Benedict's criteria for choosing this specific time-frame, such as-
have the archives up until 1922 been opened before and this is part of a synthesis
of release, or why the abrupt stop at 1939?

Reading history in a linear fashion rather than as something which often
involves mass-movement or community consciousness would tend to
point to this era being crucial.

The period preceeding 1922 would hold an unlimited fascination in terms of
labour movement and the assasination of such figures as Rosa luxemburg
(Jan 1919). The Spainish Civil war is mentioned also in the hopeful
analysis of that specific time encapsulation, the assasination of Lorca
comes to mind. The 17 year period of file and archive release necessarily reduces
the reading of the archive within a specific narrow framework which does
not account for the build-up to facism which would definitely preceed the
watermark indicated. The archives would contain some fascinating
documentation of that period in world history but are they part of an ongoing
cycle of release or are they an isolated example of a criteria of choice with regard to
the Shoah?

informations on the secret archives are to be had on the Vatican website
www.vatican.ca
http://asv.vatican.va/home_en.htm
http://asv.vaticanva/en/studi_stud,htm

In terms of bureaucracy and official secrets, many governments
wd have a specific period of time during which state papers are sealed
and released. The opening of the secret archive in an Independent
State such as Vatican city would probably have a different criteria
for selecting and approving the dates for release of such documentations.

Letter from Rosa Luxemburg:

" Our scribblings are usually not lyrics, but whirrings, without colour
or resonance, like the tone of an engine wheel. I believe that the
cause lies in the fact that when people write, they forget for the
most part to dig deeply into themselves and to feel the import
and truth of what they are writing. I believe that everytime, every day
in every article you write you must live through the thing again, you must
feel your way through it, and then fresh words-coming from the heart and going to the heart-
would occur to express the old familiar thing. But you get so used to a truth
that you rattle off the deepest and greatest things as if they were the
"Our father".
I firmly intend, when I write, never to forget to be enthusiastic about
what I write and to commune with myself"

(Rosa Luxemburg 1871-1919 , assassinated by Facists, unfortunately for
the archivist before the 1922-1939 encapsulation of the Rise of Nazism and the Shoah).

From : Rosa luxemburg: Reflections and Writings,ed Paul le Blanc. Humanity books
an imprint of Prometheus Books 1999.

Clara Zetkin: Die Gleicichet (1891-1917)
Google it.

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Comments (29 of 29)

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I've a few suggestions chris.

by microtelsa franklin - religious affairs correspondent sunday papers.

Mon Jul 03, 2006 01:30

Benedict XV died in 1922.
Ratzinger has made a public connection with Benedict numero 15 coz he was about for the war & bolshevism. It has nothing to do with Arthur Griffith, the Free State, the publication of James Joyce's Ulysses or any concept of timed release as we understand it in states. for one thing the Vatican was not recognised (nor thought of itself) as a state in 1922. This is more to do with Ratzinger's mass political style. Mass as in lots of kathurlicks who generally don't wear dredds or do blood ritual exorcisms on warships but nonetheless take all that shite and superstition as gospel. If we did have timed release, then by now we'd have more gospels, superstition & shite.

there are also very good political reasons why the previous years are left out... but most people will only attach that type of importance to the release ending for 1939

+
nihil obstat

Cé acu Pius?

by Duine

Mon Jul 03, 2006 17:59

Is trua go stadann an nochtadh in 1939 le bás Phius XI a bhí dian ar Náitsithe. An pápa ina dhiaidhsan, sin an boc. Maíodh ina leith go raibh sé i bhfách na Náitsíoch

Benedict XVI is going to Valencia, Spain for July 8th

by papa poo + papa poo +

Tue Jul 04, 2006 03:11

The city that had the worst metro accident in Spanish history yesterday with 41 people so far confirmed dead. Ratzinger has sent his condolences but the travel arrangements will not be altered. His papa-mobile has arrived and Valencia is bracing itself to host most of what's left of the Spanish catholics who are coming for a very good reason.

They're going to get a plenary indulgence. Its official his spokespeople (well spokesmen) pulling out all the stops to make this a gig to remember, because Benedict is well worried about Spain. For those of you who don't know what a plenary indulgence is - well its quite a nifty piece of magic that gets you out of Hell and a few less years (YES they put time limits on these things) in Purgatory. Now I think this really unfair, because like many of my generation I saw the last Pope, the saintly one when he went to Ireland and without gaining a plenary indulgence. It was just a matter of waving a flag, packing a picnic & feeling good about ourselves.

If you're worried about the plenary indulgence thing - there are other ways of getting them.
Grow your hair & join the peace movement, learn to play guitar and volunteer for the 11 o'clock folk mass. This won't get you an indulgence, but it will ensure you're rubbing shoulders with the sort of people who may help you further on the way. Of course critics will point out that no-one can buy or sell plenary indulgences anymore, because that led to the Reformation and protestants (who are our enemies).

But modern day Catholics being a gullible lot will still probably part with a few score Euro to buy a certificate. The non-catholic Spain is mooting days of "anti-religiosity get up their fascist opus dei noses" in Valencia to co-incide.

I've been invited, & am thinking about going -
I'll knock a few indulgences on photoshop & we'll see how I get on.

+
bless your little cotton socks.

Where is Fatima?

by Chris Murray

Tue Jul 04, 2006 11:36

In relation to valencia. (geographically dsylexic and not in possession of an atlas).

Indulgence

by Aiden Carr

Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:09

Would you get a plenary indulgence if you let someone higher than a bishop roger you?

Fatima is in Portugal. other side of Peninsula. & If a bishop buggers you you don't get indulgences

by +

Tue Jul 04, 2006 19:03

buggers can't be choosers.

Valencia is in 3 days official mourning, and then the black pope will turn up.
Now remember this "world family day" is his first non german or non nazi foreign visit.
He's done Germany (he's german) he's done Auschwitz (they banned tampons, ice cream & erotica)
c/f http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76290
& now he's doing Valencia & "the family". Of course this has nothing to do with Spain allowing single sex couples to adopt children. has it? & only a nutter would think 41 people dying at Valencia's Jesus metro station was connected. Coz that would be a spiritual dimension. He's evil. He's the black pope.

Empire

Tue Jul 04, 2006 20:26

The Vatican bureaucracy is small to be an empire. Am still unsure about
documentation release: criteria for release. Who are employed to archive?

Is the archive collected in all catholic countries and submitted to the
Papal State, or is the archive collected everywhere without particular
pertinence to that little empire?

In other words , is the garnering of knowledge a holistic process
or a discriminatory process which can be adapted to fit into a regime
or specific intellectual analysis?

Re Nihil Obstat : again, what is the criteria for the imprimatur

Dogmatic, holistic, theological or empirical. Not a conspiracy theory but
surely the process of collation as much as the process whereby release
is decided should be transparent.

so many questions......

its obvious you're not a catholic Chris.

Wed Jul 05, 2006 00:49

you think too much like the lapsed presbytarian you really are.
No! there is no holistic record keeping in the RC church.
No! there is no democratic involvement leading to an agreed version of texts which may merit the nihil obstat +
No! there is no transparency.
Anyway - its about time a real kathurlick, a righteous hairy type commented on this thread.
after all if they can't explain it to us, no-one can.

chrism

by chris murray

Wed Jul 05, 2006 15:46

lapsed. define please.

unfortunatlely + , I have been got and received the chrism a few times.
not however the final one-

and if you are got before 7, you are got for life ......... apparently.

Hey Papa Poo

by Cormac Eile

Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:39

Joining the folk mass doesn't cut it anymore - Benedictus declared two weeks ago that all "modern" music must be banned from churches. Only the drone of medieval singing can be heard from now on.

All those Taize fanatics are going to be bereft.

Do you know the origin of the plenary indulgence?

A medici pope, (Pope Leo) needed cash to complete the construction of St Peters, and to amass a dowry to marry his sister off to the king of France. In inventing the system of plenary indulgences, by which people could buy time off their sojourn in Purgatory, he created a vast system of financial transfers right across Europe.

How convenient that at a time that the pope had spent all the cash in the till, that a priest was inspired by God to discover the theological principle of indulgence, thereby allowing Leo to generate an enormous pile of cash, the results of which are plain to be seen in the vatican today. He spent £12 million sterling on St. Peters alone, which as you can imagine is an enormous fortune in todays money.

I've been to the vatican, and while the artwork is impressive, it is a really really horrible place. Rot and evil reeks out of it. When I think of all the poor all around the world who poured what little money they could into the Vatican out of fear for their immortal souls, just to make a pleasure dome for corrupt and power-hungery clergy, it makes me sick. It is no different today.

Pingin anseo, pingin ansúid

Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:44

An chéad rud eile beidh doctúirí ag gearradh airgid ar leigheas agus gan moráltacht na naomh acu.

Cuir críoch le caipitealachas!!!!!!!!!!

Woman and the Catholic Church, ( a Non-Scholarly Perspective)

Thu Jul 06, 2006 22:13

In another article I referred to the image of the virgin In Ireland, as cleansed of her humanity.
I stated that Ann Lovett probably chose to have her child at a Marian Grotto because primarily
no-one went there, for Privacy. She was confronted with an image of woman, with no little belly
and of naked white plaster. Unlike the images in Mexico or Spain of a humanised Virgin.
The hospital wards in Ireland and our schools are full of these images, though some have blue cloaks and a rose adorning the foot. The infant care units have too these anaemic and scary images of a woman who has been relieved of her humanity and replaced with an iconography of idealistic feminity that disallows her to age. The Last pope chose the'M' as his symbol.

In relatively recent times the Church (Catholic) has defined a woman who was human, as blessed before her birth and was gifted with not aging, or travelling into late womanhood. She is frozen in this iconography. The pieta, an example of her youth as she beautifully supports a thirty-three year old man on her lap. It is an object lesson in Renaissance classicism, as is St Peters , a rationalisation
of mythos frozen into an ideal image. In true terms, is it not time to release the dogmatic construct
which imprisons women in these idealised non-human forms, that do so much harm?

In Wiccan imagery and religion, woman moves naturally through three ages: The Virgin, The mother,
The Crone. (tho' a lot of my friends of that religion wd skip the maternal bit) Each age has a wisdom that is fully lived. In terms of the dogmatic representation of woman in Catholicism, we have the virgin and the Virgin Mother (not the human woman) and then her old age is taken from her and she becomes an iconography. Visiting churches , one can see the stations, the Virgin or Mary altar, the altar (unless one lives in Killarney wherein Bishop Casey had the Pugin altar removed, and replaced by a Vatican 2 model) and images of suffering and masochism . A sacrifice not freely chosen but imposed upon and a resurrection mythos that has dominated white western culture for too long.
(Cobh Cathedral has also been at risk in relatively recent weeks).

The Virgin /Whore mythology of the sinning woman , the sisters Martha and Mary and the dogmatic refusal to allow women to minister fully within a religion has bruised the spirtuality of the Christian Church. Chronicling the lives of the early apostolic women and removing from them the stigmata of suffering perpetuated in the name of that faith, including the Magdalene Laundries, the abuse scandals , the industrial schools would hardly begin the necessity of root and branch reform within the Church.

The shape imposed upon woman by dogma is damaging and creates within her a division.
She turns her back on her sister, daughter, niece ,who the community of the faithful perceive as sinning, and create within communities such as Granard a silence like mourning.

+ Hans kung has met with and spoken to Pope Benedict XV1 within the last few months+

Complex constructions re: iconography and the language of symbolism is pervasive societally. There isno image of woman within a Dogmatic church that is relevant to our lives as women,except in the ancient cultures, and they are historical curios in museums.

The Goddess mythology of Inanna-Ishtar, and Prosperina provided a freely chosen symbolism of sacrifice and resurrection mythos, that have delightful images of dropping veils, and disembowellment , reconstruction and initiation. Which provide a kind of salve to the ivory tower
image of inpenetrability and divine masochism foisted on women, plus they like sex. As did the divine Wyf of Bath from the Canterbury Tales.

*That one is in The 'Fucking Neo-liberals article' under a guise.*

Re The Canterbury tales : The RSC was banned from putting on a showing of it in Spain in the last few weeks, in a Church. The company got offered an alternative venue, which was a disused church.
Bawdy lyrics and poetry aplenty in medieval Literature and of course Mr Yeats' poetry.

Hans Kung : Women and Christianity.
Sylvia plath : The Moon and the Yew tree.
Julian Of Norwich.
Hildegard of Bingen.
Nicolas Poussin: The lamentation at the Tomb.

(will put in author titles tomorrow).

A Dhiabhail

Fri Jul 07, 2006 13:28

Níl mé cinnte cad é an bhaint leis an méid thuas agus Cartlann na Vatacáine.

An ionann dealramh ealaíne agus reiligiún agat? Níl sa reiligiún ach Dia a léirmhíniú. Is faoin tsochaí fhéin a chur amach fhéin a thabhairt i gcríoch.

The veneration of Bones of St Colombiere is ongoing

by Holy Bones.

Thu Jul 13, 2006 17:28

Presently the bones are in the Cathedral of St Mary's in Killarney (this is adjacent to the
all-Ireland retirement home of the Knights of St Columbanus)

Noted here : because sacred relics/indulgences etc are always interesting.

The story was published in a Tony O Reilly publication today, (am still cogigtating on the
meaning of the armbands)

St Claude was canonised on the 16th June 1929 (Pius X1- which brings the canonisation into
the realm of the period for release of vatican archives)

Also Bloomsday.

St Claude was anti-Jansenist (a branch of Internal pro-Augustinian catholics who believed
in an elect and other things which were too close to Calvinism for the comfort of the
pope)

http://www.geocities.com/francischinchoy/sjclauddelaclo...biere
has the skinny: but he was adored because " He converted many protestants through the
example of his holy life" , he was also chaplain to the duchess of york and from an aristocratic backround.

Interestingly he was canonised by John Paul the second .

(there was a long period between the beatification and canonisation, unlike the Escriva
canonisation which was very hastily accomplished)
John Paul the second was a prodigious man in the realm of the granting of sainthoods.

St Colombiere was confessor and director to Saint Mary Alacoque, who was canonised in 1920.

Jansenism included such Luminaries as Racine and Pascal.

The secret Archives are to be opened on the 18th September 2006.

for bawdry on bones and general bawdry the Canterbury tales provides a good overview of the
bone relic business, though an RSC production of it was recently banned in Spain because
the local canon? did not like the Wyf of Bath putting experiential philosophy before the dogmatic example of the church.

The bones can be seen in todays Independent.
Interesting story about the exhumation of a castrati also.
t

September 18th and Pandora's Box.

by Archivist

Tue Aug 29, 2006 09:59

Only a few weeks to go, when Benedict will copperfasten his tie to Benedict
XV, by releasing the secret archives to the world's mainstream media....

In the meantime:-

This week He hopes to shift his view on " evolution".

Irish Times:- The pope is considering aligning the Catholic Church more closely
with the theory of 'intelligent design' taught in the US (they say states- administration)

The Schulerkreis:- Benedict's doctoral students are meeting this week to work on the issue
of creation in it's literal sense.

info at www.ireland.com (28/08/06)

Looking at it dispassionately for a teeny moment, the main critic of intelligent design
has been silenced a bit like Leonardo Bofa in the seventies when Benedict silenced him because
he wanted the church to address the issue of local power and poverty. This was a case which affected
and convulsed the Brazilian Church for a generation.

Issues of global poverty and war seem to pass by the bureaucracy of the Church which
favours central control and political bureaucracy.Father Coyne , in this instance has
objected publicly to the theme of the Schulerkreis.

Evolution etc

by pat c

Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:02

This is worrying. It looks as if Benny is going to adopt "Intelligent" Design as the Vatican position. In 1996 JPII came out strongly in favour of Evolution, saying that it was much more than a hypothesis.

What next? The Earth is the centre of the Universe?

Perhaps he'll adopt the bible standard of pi. In the Bible it is stated that the value of pi is equal to 3. Use that formula and you will end up withh ellipsoid wheels.

intelligent design lacks intelligence?

by archivist

Tue Aug 29, 2006 13:22

Its another systemisation.
Its another materialist solution to western hegemony.
Its another avoidance of issues of global poverty.

Merckel met the pope yesterday to discuss agigtating for putting 'god' in
the EU materialist constitution. defining god in those terms is specious.

We live in dangerous times. our generation must address the issue of mass
psychological control through the anti-marriage of gloabalisation and western
patriarchial control philosophies.

We have inherited the appalling mess left by the last generation and we have to
resist market forces and mass consumption which are threatening and eroding our freedoms
and those of our children.

Pluto/Theosophy/Occultism

by evolution etc

Tue Aug 29, 2006 17:00

If the earth were the centre of the godforsaken universe maybe all the occultists
would be homeless and all the silly arguments about planetary influences in
our lives would dissappear- especially the risible one about men are from
Mars , women are from Venus. Everyone knows that there is no difference
between men and women and we are all equal under god-in fact King Benedictum
is doing us all a favour.

All Hail the American Way- though I am much fonder of the other poem
on 'An American prayer'
" Out here on the perimeter there are no stars.......(Morrisson)

out here we is stoned immaculate.

Dear Sister Cramp

by whoops

Tue Aug 29, 2006 20:42

"It's all hail the American night"

(didn't think nuns went in for that sorta thing....)

Still no word from the Schulerkreis....

by Battle Hymn of the Republic

Wed Sep 06, 2006 20:49

It is almost coinciding with the Vatican Archive opening (september the 18th).

in the meantime Ratzinger's words:- "After the great pope JPII, the cardinals have elcted me, a simple
humble worker in the lord's vineyard"

http://www.missionandjustice.org/?p=1964

The research around the silencing of leonardo by The then Cardinal Ratzinger in 1984-85
is ongoing.

typo

by .

Wed Sep 06, 2006 20:56

Leonardo Boffa- not Da vinci

Opus Dei

by The Grapes of Wrath

Thu Sep 07, 2006 15:11

went on national TV saying that they welcomed the book.
Brownes Da Vinci code and would love to answer all concerns.

Ratzinger is known Opus Dei and JP11 canonised Escriva. sure tis all
God's work- part of the plan. we all hear about it when the creation is
re-instigated in fortress globe.

:-)

but a radiohead threatened to sue a women academic for accusing him of being a member
in the vineyard- if I remember correctly he was sub-editor of a sunday paper.

Interesting photos of Moslem women in the Guardian

Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:38

Pope offends Moslem leaders.

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?CP-documentid=923922

and the Guardian has women in the frontline of the protest, which is only right.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1873167,00.html

Update:- The Vatican archives leading to the Holocaust /Shoah are to be opened in a day or two,
The Schulerkreis which was examining the doctrines of the Genesis creation for
dogmatic adoption has not press-released . (this is an approach to religion akin to
the U.S dogmaticm of creation forced on some schools).

Those silenced by Ratzinger include Leonardo Bofa- a religious involved in bringing the
tenets of christian catholicism grounded in social equality to the people
of Brazil and of course Father Coyneof the Vatican observatory in Arizona,
who opposed the Schulerkreis.

pope, pot, kettle, black.

Fri Sep 15, 2006 14:51

he has some nerve. christianity did just the same.

only difference now is that there are no christian theocratic states that stone women and gays to death for expressing their sexuality.

he said what ?

by LaLa

Fri Sep 15, 2006 15:22

Looks to me like someone being quoted out of context by the mainstream media (again).

Read the script of what he said. (extremely bring to read though).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/15_09_06_pop...e.pdf

Nativity Story

by Maire

Fri Nov 24, 2006 16:53

The pope (Benedict XVI) will not attend the premiere of 'The Nativity Story' in the
Holy See this weekend. It has nothing to do with the fact that the 16 year old
actress who played the virgin mary found herself pregnant after making the
movie- but that he must prepare for his visit to Turkey on Tuesday (according
to a Vatican Spokesperson)

The Proceeds from the film are to be donated to the building of a school in
Mughar (25 miles from Nazareth)

Many sixteen year old girls get pregnant.
Sometimes they and their children survive.

In the past they entered Magdalean Homes.
One little girl died under a holy statue in Granard.

RIP- Ann Lovett and infant. (a lot of Irish and northern Irish women still think of that awful time).

sunday observor:- titbit

by good week for..

Mon Mar 12, 2007 20:18

Benedict the XVI(I) had criticised his predecessor JP (II) for appearing on stage with
Bob Dylan, but apparently he has allowed for the publication of the Judas Gospel.

This Titbit courtesy of the back pages of the Observor (11/03/07)

it could be a timed release/quasi-propaganda tool- keep all the theologians fighting
and happy!

re :- 'Titbits', this is a magazine that many in Dublin read and some even used in the
absence of Loo Roll-[I kid you not- there was a magazine called 'Titbits' the poor
cut it into sheets after reading and placed it in the 'outhouse'- o we have come a
terribly long way- now the accquisitive classes have their colons irrigated!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk - use the search engine.

the link - it cites Jeffrey Archer as co-author of the Judas gospel which suggests "observer" spoof

by pinging?

Mon Mar 12, 2007 23:52

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/7days/story/0,,2031307,0....html
i dont think the good week bad week bit of the observer is really "news" or provides "updates". but pinging ratzi..... sure he isn't dev.

Jeff's site

by Good Week For...

Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:55

http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/gospel.htm

It Shalt be Published (th) on 20th March 2007:-

Three days after the invasion anniversary (hm)

info at :- info@jeffreyarcher.co.uk

(interestingly, the refusal to condemn brutal regimes is very loud, whilst the tangle
in theology subject to mass market forces.....)

I do love to ping *

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Pope Benedict and the Vatican Archives

Comments (29 of 29)