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Originally Posted by polak
I don't understand how christians are fine with never knowing what the Vatican is hiding in their vaults. Frankly, I'd be outraged that it's not public domain.
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*oh good lord...*
Look. The reason no one—Christian or otherwise—is "outraged" is because the Vatican is not hiding anything. Yes, it is true that the Vatican library and archives are the largest repositories of their kind on earth, and yes, they are full of all sorts of historical, documentary, and artifactual treasures. The items in "the vault" are priceless, and it is for this reason that the Vatican is not in the practice of just letting anyone traipse in off the streets to ogle their collections. Quite to the contrary of the common perception, scholars with the right credentials, permissions, and with valid reasons for study regularly and frequently are given access to the Vatican archives. I have colleagues and professional acquaintances who have been in the archives on several occasions for the purpose of research. But the sort of security protocols and procedures that they employ are not all that much more unusual than you would find for any permanent museum exhibit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
How obvious can they make it that there is stuff that they don't want you to know.
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Do tell. How "obvious" is it? In my personal experience and based on my own fairly careful, professional observations the Vatican is not "obviously" hiding anything.
Just what are you getting at here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
I'm assuming it's the gospel of stan in which Jesus is having safe, gay sex while smoking crack and preaching about evolution.
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This is nothing altogether new. The Gospel of Judas was recently published in which Judas Iscariot is depicted as a sympathetic figure, and yet the Vatican was non-plussed by its release to the public. The even more recent publication of the so-called "Wife of Jesus" fragment was not in any way obfuscated by the Vatican. It has now since been deemed to be a forgery—a finding supported by the Papacy, but clearly also the emerging scholarly consensus on the matter.
Give it a rest, people. There is no great Catholic conspiracy.