Vatican's Secret Archives Are Open

The legendary name of the Vatican's archives has long sparked imaginations, but its meaning is a matter of translation. The term "Secret Archives" stems from the Latin *Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum*, where 'secretum' doesn't mean clandestine, but rather 'private.' This designated the collection as the pope's personal archive, distinct from the administrative records of various Holy See departments. To finally dispel the conspiratorial aura, Pope Francis officially renamed the