Arrangement of the fond ufficio informazioni Vaticano (war prisoners, 1939-1947)

financed by the Secretariat of State


The «Ufficio Informazioni Vaticano», established by will of Pius XII in 1939, at the Secretariat of State to «provide families, who suffer unspeakable anguish when they no longer receive news from their beloved, some information on their fate».
Thanks to the exceptional economical support of the Secretariat of State, the entire fond, consisting of 2349 pieces, has been arranged, and by means of a system of digital acquisition, that includes bitonal registration with a special software and a high-speed scanner, the pictures of about three million cards regarding the single prisoners have been memorized at a rate of 14,000 cards per day.
By will of the late Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, the entire fond, was opened to research even if it belonged to a period of time closed to scholars.