Zusammenfassung / Abstract
“The Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the General Curia of the Dominican Order: Possibilities for Research on the Politics and Milieu of the Order in the 20th century: The Case of ‘Gerald Vann OP’ 1954/55” – Between 1908 and 1965, a total of 33 Dominicans held various positions in the Holy Office and the Congregation of the Index. They constituted part of the Roman network of the Order of Preachers, comprising convents, offices and institutions. The exploration of this network, commencing with a prosopography of the Dominicans who served the two congregations during the early decades of the twentieth century, is the focus of a new research project. Its objective is to provide insight into the interactions between the various Dominican institutions in Rome. The potential of this approach is exemplified by the case of Gerald Vann OP. His 1953 article, entitled “The Muddled Marriage”, resulted in a formal complaint to both the Master of the Order and the Holy Office. Vann’s article was saved from possible condemnation as a result of the Order’s internal censorship, the expertise and the publishing organs of the Angelicum, and finally, the fortuitous circumstance of having the right Dominican in the right place at the right time.