The Lost Papal Archives is a YouTube channel that collects and arranges thematically and chronologically footages from the Hearst Newsreel Collection, organized and made available to the public by the Packard Humanities Institute in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
(March 9, 2025).
The channel contains 167 videos that have been carefully selected and described (often the descriptions from the archive are incomplete or incorrect). They have been published in chronological order (from oldest to newest) and then sorted into thematic playlists (appropriately described).
The available recordings date from 1929 to 1967, so they cover the pontificates of Popes Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI. Two things make these materials unique from other video archives: they are all in HD; they do not have watermarks or other markings that make them difficult to watch. In addition, some of the videos are a raw collection of recordings that have never been released on television.
Nota bene: the name and logo of the channel (project) refer to the Secret Archive of the Holy See, however, this is only and exclusively an identification inspiration, the purpose of which is to arouse educational interest in the collected materials. The channel is in no way affiliated with the Secret Archive of the Vatican.
