The Citizen Scientists are an indispensable part of the research project "Asking the Pope for Help". Without their engagement, the project would not be possible in its current form. Their voluntary work enriches the project in many ways – academically, in terms of organisation and on a personal level.

As active researchers, the Citizen Scientists work together with the scientific team to make the petitions of Jewish persecutees during the Nazi era accessible again. At the same time, they are helping to answer the central research question: How did the Pope and the Catholic Church respond to requests for help from Jewish people? Their work focuses primarily on collecting and processing data for the digital edition of the sources – a crucial step in making the documents accessible to the public and researchers in the long term.

The project began with an introductory workshop in which the objectives, working methods and research questions were presented. The participants then worked in small groups to familiarise themselves with various tasks and decided for themselves where they would best contribute their interests and skills. After a training phase, they took on their tasks independently, but remained in close contact with the scientific team.

Citizen Scientists are informed about current developments and new research findings in regular workshops. These meetings also provide an opportunity to contribute their own observations, discuss questions and reflect on progress together.

Most of the work takes place in the project rooms, where the necessary infrastructure and support from scientific staff and students are available at all times. At the same time, interested Citizen Scientists also have the option of working from home, for example, processing and recording digital reproductions. Personal interaction is always highly encouraged: ideas, feedback, and suggestions can be discussed with the project coordinators or managers.

Interested in getting involved yourself?

The project welcomes new Citizen Scientists who possess curiosity, precision, and an interest in history. Prior experience and, above all, Italian language skills are helpful but not required – more important is the enjoyment of collaborative research and discovery. Anyone interested in participating can contact the project team at any time by emailing barbara.schueler@uni-muenster.de to learn more about current opportunities to get involved.