On 29 June 2026, the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, D.C., signed a cooperation agreement to preserve and make accessible archival sources relating to the Second World War and the Holocaust.

The agreement was signed at Sant'Anselmo by Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder OSB and Mr Zachary Levine, Director of Archival and Curatorial Affairs of the David M. Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation at the USHMM. The collaboration is the result of several months of discussion following an initial visit of Museum representatives to Sant'Anselmo in January 2026.

The partnership forms part of the Museum's international programme to identify, preserve and provide scholarly access to archival documentation held by religious institutions that sheds light on the persecution of Jews and other victims of National Socialism, as well as on efforts undertaken to assist and rescue those in danger.

During a preliminary survey of the archives of Sant'Anselmo, researchers identified approximately 1,000 pages of historically significant documentation. These include correspondence of Abbot Primate Fidelius von Stotzingen, notes prepared for his wartime audiences with Pope Pius XII, correspondence with Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli and Cardinal Luigi Maglione, wartime letters from Benedictine monasteries across Europe, the certificate recognizing Sant'Anselmo's extraterritorial status under Vatican protection during the German occupation of Rome, and reports describing the effects of the Second World War on the Benedictine College.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Museum will digitize selected archival materials, provide Sant'Anselmo with a complete digital copy of the reproductions, and preserve the material within its own archival collections, where it will be available to researchers in accordance with established archival policies. Ownership of the original documents and their legal custody remain entirely with Sant'Anselmo. The agreement also provides for continuing cooperation between the two institutions and establishes a framework for future scholarly collaboration.

The agreement is concluded on behalf of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo rather than the Benedictine Confederation as a whole, reflecting the autonomy of individual monasteries. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this initiative may encourage further collaboration between the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and other Benedictine archives whose collections may contribute to a deeper understanding of the history of the Holocaust and of the varied responses of monastic communities during those tragic years.

The preservation and critical study of historical sources remain an essential service to truth. By making these documents accessible to international scholarship, Sant'Anselmo seeks to contribute to a more complete understanding of this difficult chapter of European history while honouring the memory of those who suffered persecution and those who, often quietly and at considerable personal risk, sought to defend human dignity.