Pope names new members to the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV has appointed three new members to the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences: Professors Umberto Longo, director of the Italian Historical Institute for the Middle Ages in Rome (Italy); Francesco Cesareo, president emeritus of Assumption University in Worcester (United States); and Anna Barańska, associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland).

The Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences was founded in 1954 by Pope Pius XII, inheriting the tradition of the Cardinal Commission for Historical Studies established by Pope Leo XIII through the Apostolic Letter Saepenumero considerantes of August 18, 1883.

The Committee's work has been characterized by its constant attention to the Church's archival heritage, particularly the Vatican Archives. Numerous appeals have been addressed to the Popes to allow scholars greater and better access to the archival collections held by the Holy See. The Committee is chaired by Jesuit Father Marek Inglot, with Pierantonio Piatti serving as secretary.