In Unprecedented Exhibit, Vatican Set to Display 100 Top-Secret Archival Documents

VATICAN CITY (The Blaze/AP) -- The Vatican will be displaying 100 select documents from its Secret Archives at an unprecedented exhibit next year, including previously unpublished papers on its World War II-era pope.

The exhibit is the first of its kind and will likely shed light on some important questions surrounding the Church's involvement and opinions surrounding World War II, the Armenian genocide and other important events and occurrences. According to the Archives' web site:

The activity of the Archivio Segreto Vaticano pursues two main goals. One is to protect its documentary heritage and ensure its preservation, while the other is to provide scholars with research tools to enhance access to this treasure trove of Church activity conserved in documents spanning thousands of years.

The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, unveiled plans for "Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed" at a briefing Tuesday.

The exhibit, which runs from February to September at Rome's Capitoline Museums, marks the first time such precious documents, manuscripts and parchments have been allowed out of the Vatican vaults for view by the general public. The occasion is the Archive's 400th anniversary.

Watch the below video to take a first-hand look inside the archives:

Officials said some of the previously unseen documents concern Pope Pius XII, accused by some Jews of failing to speak out enough to stop the Holocaust.