Pontifical universities in Rome

A pontifical university is a Catholic university established by and directly under the authority of the Holy See. It is licensed to grant academic degrees in sacred faculties, the most important of which are Sacred Theology, Canon Law, and Philosophy. Pontifical universities follow a European system of degrees in the sacred faculties, granting the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the doctorate.

As defined by the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 815 Ecclesiastical universities or faculties, which are to investigate the sacred disciplines or those connected to the sacred and to instruct students scientifically in the same disciplines, are proper to the Church by virtue of its function to announce the revealed truth.

Can. 816 §1. Ecclesiastical universities and faculties can be established only through erection by the Apostolic See or with its approval; their higher direction also pertains to it.

§2. Individual ecclesiastical universities and faculties must have their own statutes and plan of studies approved by the Apostolic See.

Can. 817 No university or faculty which has not been erected or approved by the Apostolic See is able to confer academic degrees which have canonical effects in the Church.

Independent institutions or individual faculties at non-pontifical universities may also be given charters by the Holy See (under canon 814) to grant pontifical degrees, usually in one or two specific fields. These are referred to as a "pontifical faculty," "pontifical institute," or "pontifical athenaeo" to distinguish them from an entire "pontifical university," which incorporates at least four faculties, including Theology, Canon Law, and Philosophy.

The Vicariate (diocese) of Rome has established an office for campus ministry and the pastoral care of students, the Office of Pastorale Universitaria. This office serves students at the pontifical universities as well as those enrolled at state universities.

Admission

Pontifical universities in Rome accept students from around the world, whether clergy or laity. With special permission and motivated, even non-Christians may be admitted.

Students are normally classified into normal students, extraordinary students and guest students.

Admission to courses of the Faculties or Institutes of a pontifical university may be conditional on the knowledge of Latin, Greek or other foreign languages.

Academic degrees

Like other theological faculties, pontifical universities divide studies into 3 cycles: the first cycle of varying duration, after which is obtained a Bachelor (Baccalaureato), the second cycle, which leads to the conferment of a License degree (Licenza), and finally the third cycle, which grant a Graduate degree (Dottorato). The duration of courses varies from university to university.

In Italy "degrees in theology and other specific ecclesiastical disciplines (Sacred Scriptures, Canon Law, Spirituality, Liturgy, Missiology, and Religious Sciences), conferred by a Faculty approved by the Holy See are recognized by the State" pursuant to art. 10/II of the 25 March 1985 n.21 Law (OJ No 28, April 10, 1985). However, no measures were taken designed to establish a priori the equivalence with the titles conferred by Italian universities. It is therefore not possible to predetermine a mandatory equivalence for qualifications issued by pontifical universities with those issued by state universities. Indeed, in Italy, constant changes make it very complex to unify a university curriculum with the problem of equality that must be resolved, at their request, from time to time by the relevant Ministry of Education, University and Research [1].

Courses

Generally, Pontifical universities comprise the faculties of Sacred Theology, Philosophy, and Canon Law. Additionally, they might include the ecclesiastical faculties of Sacred Scriptures, Liturgy, Spirituality, Missiology, and Religious sciences, and the faculties of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Arab and Islamic Studies, Archeology, Bioethics, Christian and Classical Literature, Civil Law and Utriusque iuris, Ecumenical Studies, Educational sciences, History and Cultural Heritage of the Church, Interreligious Studies, Judaic Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations, Monastic Studies, Oriental Ecclesiastical Sciences, Patristic Sciences, Psychology, Sacred Music, Social Doctrine of the Church, Social and Institutional Communication Sciences, Social Sciences, Studies in Integral Ecology, Studies on Marriage and the Family, and Studies in the Sciences of Peace.

Pontifical Institutions in Rome

The Pontifical Gregorian University.

In Rome, we find the following pontifical universities (with respect to can. 815), and pontifical athenaea, institutes of higher education, and faculties (these with respect to can. 814). The Religious Order or other ecclesiastical body responsible for the administration of the university is listed in parentheses.

Pontifical Universities:

• Pontifical Gregorian University "Gregoriana" (Society of Jesus)
• Pontifical Lateran University "Lateranum" (Diocese of Rome)
• Pontifical Salesian University "Salesianum" (Salesians of Don Bosco)
• Pontifical University of the Holy Cross "Santa Croce" (Opus Dei)
• Pontifical University of St. Anthony "Antonianum" (Order of Friars Minor)
• Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas "Angelicum" (Order of Preachers)
• Pontifical Urban University "Urbaniana" (Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples)

Pontifical Athenaea:

• Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum" (Legionaries of Christ)
• Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm "Anselmianum" (Benedictines)

Pontifical Institutes:

• Pontifical Institute "John Paul II" for Marriage and Family Sciences
• Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies "PISAI"
• Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology "PIAC"
• Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music "PIMS"

Pontifical Faculties:

• Pontifical Faculty of Education "Auxilium" (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco)
• Pontifical Theological Faculty "Marianum" (Servites)
• Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure "Seraphicum" (Order of Friars Minor Conventual)
• Pontifical Theological Faculty "Teresianum" (Discalced Carmelites)

Pontifical Institutions incorporated or associated to others:

• Pontifical Institute for Biblical Studies "Biblicum" (Society of Jesus) [associated to Gregoriana]
• Pontifical Institute for Eastern Studies "Orientale" (Society of Jesus) [associated to Gregoriana]
• Pontifical Institute for Pastoral Ministry "Redemptor Hominis" (Diocese of Rome) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Pontifical Institute of Latinitas (Salesians of Don Bosco) [incorporated into Salesianum]
• Pontifical Institute of Liturgy (Benedictines) [incorporated into Sant'Anselmo]
• Pontifical Institute of Spirituality "Teresianum" (Discalced Carmelites) [incorporated into Teresianum]
• Pontifical Institute of Utriusque Iuris (Diocese of Rome) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Institute for Patristic Studies "Augustinianum" (Order of Saint Augustine) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Institute of Consecrated Life "Claretianum" (Claretians) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Institute of Moral Theology "Accademia Alfonsiana" (Redemptorists) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Institute of Franciscan Spirituality (Capuchins) [incorporated into Antonianum]

Pontifical Institutions that have been suppressed:

• Pontifical Institute for Missionary Sciences (Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) [formerly incorporated into Urbaniana]
• Pontifical Institute "Regina Mundi" for the Theological Formation of Women (Society of Jesus) [formerly incorporated into Gregoriana]
• Institute of the Theology of Pastoral Health Care "Camillianum" (Camillians) [formerly incorporated into Lateranum]

Outside of Rome
Institutions in Italy incorporated or associated to Roman institutions:

• Pontifical Institute of Ambrosian Sacred Music "PIAMS" at Milan [associated to PIMS]
• Institute of Ecumenical-Patristic Theology "San Nicola" at Bari (Order of Preachers) [incorporated into Angellicum]
• Institute of Ecumenical Studies "San Bernardino" at Venice (Order of Friars Minor) [incorporated into Antonianum]
• Salesian Institution of Higher Education at Turin (Salesians of Don Bosco) [incorporated into Salesianum]
• Salesian Institution of Higher Education at Venice (Salesians of Don Bosco) [Incorporated into Salesianum]
• Studio Teologico Laurentianum at Venice (Capuchins) [associated to Antonianum]

Institutions outside of Italy incorporated or associated to Roman institutions:

• Pontificium Institutum Biblicum at Jerusalem (Society of Jesus) [incorporated into Biblicum]
• Institute of Languages and Humanities "Polis" at Jerusalem (Opus Dei) [associated to Santa Croce]
• Institute of Consecrated Life "Sanyasa" at Bangalore, India (Claretians) [incorporated into Lateranum]
• Instituto Teológico de Murcia at Murcia, Spain (Order of Friars Minor) [incorporated into Antonianum]
• Studium Biblicum Franciscanum at Jerusalem (Order of Friars Minor) [incorporated into Antonianum]
• Studium Theologicum Salesianum at Jerusalem (Salesians of Don Bosco) [incorporated into Salesianum]

For completeness of information, a pontifical institute of higher learning which is the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, a prestigious institution of the Catholic Church, takes care of the preparation of the priest for the service diplomacy of the Holy See of various nunciatures or in Secretary of State of the Holy See.