Reserve your Visit
Online Store
Support Us
The Doctrine of the Faith Archives, Vatican City
Since the end of World War II, scholars, Holocaust survivors, Jewish leaders and others have posed important questions about the role of the Vatican, Pius XII, and institutions operated by the Catholic Church both during the Holocaust and in its aftermath. Many questions remained unanswered, often raising controversies among scholars and in public discourse.
The International Institute for Holocaust Research has been involved in research initiatives over the years, that include:
- A research project on clergy in France and Belgium who had been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.
- International academic events, such as an international workshop on the topic of Pius XII and the Holocaust, convened in March 2009, in collaboration with the Salesian Theological Institute of Saints Peter and Paul in Jerusalem (The workshop was followed by the publication of a volume titled: Pius XII and the Holocaust – Current State of Research); An international workshop convened in July 2019 on Religious Institutions and Jews in Hiding During the Holocaust; and several virtual events
- In October 2023 the International Conference, New Documents from the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII and their Meaning for Jewish-Christian Relations: A Dialogue Between Historians and Theologians was convened in Rome, organized by the Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; Centro “Cardinal Bea” per gli Studi Giudaici – Facoltà di Storia e dei Beni Culturali della Chiesa, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; CDEC, Fondazione Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea; the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, Saint Leo University; and the International Institute for Holocaust Research in Yad Vashem, (The conference volume is forthcoming)
- A project in collaboration with the Yad Vashem archives, aimed at collecting documentation held in archives of Roman Catholic Religious Congregations in Europe, which is being conducted in partnership with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC and the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris
The International Institute for Holocaust Research continues to promote international collaboration and research on these important topics.
- Support researchers, and host scholars, utilizing Church documentation.
- Hosting academic events, to advance discussion on current research.