The Archivio Apostolico Vaticano (formerly “Vatican Secret Archives”) preserves documents related to the governance of the Universal Church spanning the 8th to 20th centuries. Founded by Pope Paul V (mid-17th century). Pope Francis renamed it via motu proprio “Historical experience” on October 22, 2019 — removing the word “Secret” from the institution’s name for the first time. PHYSICAL STRUCTURE: Over 600 archival fonds stored across 85+ linear kilometres of shelving. THE BUNKER: A two-storey underground vault located beneath the Cortile della Pigna of the Vatican Museums — used for classified storerooms. Coulthart (who spoke to someone granted access) confirmed archives “ran extensively underground.” ACCESS POLICY: Documents publicly accessible up to the end of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII (October 1958). This means WWII-era documents — including the period of the alleged 1933 Magenta crash and Pius XII’s alleged backchannel to the US — fall within the accessible period. However, the prefect’s secretary Marco Grilli told Catholic News Service (June 11, 2024): “The prefect wants to affirm that there is no document in the archives that regards extraterrestrial life” — and scholars seeking such material should be “dissuaded from undertaking futile and unproductive attempts.” OFFICIAL DENIAL vs. GRUSCH CLAIM: David Grusch testified to Congress in 2023 that “the Catholic Church knew about the existence of alien life — certainly” — and that Pope Pius XII “backchanneled” the existence of the 1933 Magenta craft to the United States. The Vatican declined all media comment for over a week after the testimony. Coulthart’s take: “I just wonder whether it’s driven by information that it does possess, as Mr. Grusch suggests.” SOL FOUNDATION: Gary Nolan (Stanford biologist, key dossier figure) co-founded the Sol Foundation in 2023 specifically to initiate dialogue with the Vatican and religious institutions about the implications of NHI. Source: archivioapostolicovaticano.va