Ad decorem militantis Ecclesiae
With the papal bull Ad decorem militantis Ecclesiae (Latin: To adorn the warring church) of June 15, 1475, Pope Sixtus IV promulgated the legal basis for today's Vatican Apostolic Library . With this founding bull, the institution founded by Pope Nicholas V as a “reading room” was given the status of an institution under papal law .
preamble
The library is not only intended for the artistic organization of the church and for the spread of the faith , rather it should preserve the achievements of the scholars and be made accessible to the new scholars, thereby further developing their usefulness.
Requirements
I. The library is to be accommodated in three rooms, two rooms form the "Bibliotheca publica" or "communis", which are divided into the "Bibliotheca latina" for Latin manuscripts and the "Bibliotheca graeca" for the Greek codex . The third room should contain the so-called "Bibliotheca secreta" or private library (known today as the secret archive).
II. As a second important regulation, Sixtus IV. Orders that a staff should be provided, this should act as management and functional staff and be rewarded accordingly; he appointed Bartolomeo Platina as the first librarian .
III. As a third criterion, the Pope stipulates that the library should be open to enrolled students and scholars , that it should be made accessible to scholars and that it should also allow public access for visitors.
meaning
Pope Benedict XVI stated on the occasion of his visit to the library and the secret archive:
“The Servant of God John Paul II also wanted to remember more recently this volume which connects the Apostolic Library with the Successor of Peter; a volume that highlights their extraordinary mission, which Pope Sixtus IV already emphasized: "Ad decorem militantis Ecclesiae et fidei augmentum - To adorn the warring church and to spread the faith". Another of my predecessors, Pope Nicholas V, took up this and pointed out their objective with the words: "Pro communi doctorum virorum commodo - For the benefit and general interest of scientists."
Individual evidence
- ↑ Visit to the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Vatican Secret Archives, address by Benedict XVI. , June 25, 2007
Web links
- History of the Vatican Apostolic Library (Italian)