The Vatican Secret Archives, located in Vatican City, is the central repository for all of the acts promulgated by the Holy See. The entrance to the Archives building is adjacent to the Vatican Library off the Piazza of St. Peter's. The archives also contain the state papers, correspondence, papal account books, and many other documents which the church has accumulated over the centuries. In the 17th century, under the orders of Pope Paul V, the Secret Archives were separated from the Vatican Library, where scholars had some very limited access to them, and remained absolutely closed to outsiders until 1881, when Pope Leo XIII opened them to researchers, more than a thousand of whom now examine its documents each year.
The use of the word "secret" in the title "Vatican Secret Archives" does not denote the modern meaning of confidentiality. Its meaning is closer to that of the word "private," indicating that the archives are the Pope's personal property and do not belong to any particular department of the Roman Curia or the Holy See. The word "secret" was generally used in this sense in phrases such as "secret servants," "secret cupbearer," "secret carver," or "secretary," much like an esteemed position of honor and regard comparable to a VIP.
In other words, you can view any document you wish because the archives are not secret, despite their name. However, you cannot enter the archive. You must submit your request for a document and it will be supplied to you.
The Vatican Secret Archives have been estimated to contain 52 miles (84 km) of shelving, and there are 35,000 volumes in the selective catalogue alone. The only documents you can't access are those which are not yet 75 years old (in order to protect governmental and diplomatic information). Indexes are available for people who want to see if a document exists in the archives.
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