Statement

2020

IHRA Chair commends Holy See on opening of Pope Pius XII Archives

The IHRA Chair, Ambassador Georges Santer addresses the audience at the IHRA conference “Refugee Policies from 1933 until Today: Challenges and Responsibilities” held in cooperation with the Holy See in 2017.

The IHRA Chair, Ambassador Georges Santer, said: “We commend the Holy See’s official opening of the Pope Pius XII Archives today. Archival access is a key aspect of Holocaust remembrance, and contributes directly to safeguarding the historical record. We all share a responsibility to throw light on the still obscured shadows of the Holocaust and the Second World War, and we very much appreciate the constructive talks we had in the past with Cardinal State Secretary, Pietro Parolin, and Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

For decades a significant amount of documentation bearing on the Holocaust and its historical context has been scattered, endangered, and in many cases inaccessible. By adopting the IHRA 2020 Ministerial Declaration on 19 January, 35 countries committed themselves to identifying, preserving, and making available archival material, testimonies and authentic sites for educational purposes, commemoration and research. We therefore call on all countries to follow the example of the Holy See.”