Pontifical university

Pontifical universities are "academic institutes established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These academic institutes deal specifically with the Christian revelation and related disciplines, and the Church’s mission of spreading the Gospel, as proclaimed in the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana".^[1] Many of them, on the other hand, have most of their students studying secular topics.

Pontifical universities follow a European system of degrees in the sacred faculties, granting the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the doctorate. These ecclesiastical degrees are prerequisites to certain offices in the Roman Catholic Church, especially considering that bishop candidates are selected mainly from priests who are doctors of sacred theology (S.T.D.) or canon law (J.C.D.) and that ecclesiastical judges and canon lawyers must have at least the Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L.).

Quality and ranking

Compared to secular or Catholic universities, which are academic institutions for the study and teaching of a broad range of disciplines, ecclesiastical or Pontifical universities are "usually composed of three principal ecclesiastical faculties, theology, philosophy, and canon law, and at least one other faculty. A Pontifical university specifically addresses Christian revelation and disciplines correlative to the evangelical mission of the Church as set out in the apostolic constitution Sapientia christiana". ^[2][3]

Like other Catholic institutions, pontifical colleges and universities are generally nondenominational, in that they accept anyone regardless of religion or denominational affiliation, race or ethnicity, nationality, or civil status, provided the admission or enrollment requirements and legal documents are submitted, and rules & regulations are obeyed for a fruitful life on campus. However, some faculties or degrees and disciplines may be for Catholics only, and non-Catholics, whether Christian or not, may be exempted from participating in otherwise required campus activities, particularly those of a religious nature.

Current international quality ranking services do not have a quality ranking category that reflects the unique nature and mission of Pontifical universities, nor do their methodologies take into account this unique nature and mission in a way that reflects their educational quality. Since 19 September 2003 the Holy See has taken part in the Bologna Process, a series of meetings and agreements between European states designed to foster comparable quality standards in higher education, and in the "Bologna Follow-up Group". The Holy See’s Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO) was established on 19 September 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI "to promote and develop a culture of quality within the academic institutions that depend directly on the Holy See and ensure they possess internationally valid quality criteria." ^[3]

List of pontifical universities

Source:^[4]

Argentina

• Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina), Buenos Aires

Austria

• International Theological Institute; for studies of marriage and family, near Vienna
• Pontifical Athenaeum, Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Heiligenkreuz
• Theological Faculty, Catholic-Theological Private University Linz, Linz

Belgium

• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven
• Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve

Brazil

• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, Campinas
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre

Canada

• Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto; postdoctoral research
• Regis College, Toronto
• Saint Paul University, Ottawa

Chile

• Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago
• Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, Valparaiso

Colombia

• Pontifical Bolivarian University, Medellin
• Pontifical Xavierian University, Bogota

Dominican Republic

• Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago de Los Caballeros

Ecuador

• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito

France

• Catholic University of Lyon, Lyon
• Catholic University of Toulouse, Toulouse
• Catholic University of the West, Angers
• Institut Catholique de Paris, Paris
• Université Catholique de Lille, Lille

Germany

• Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt & Ingolstadt
• Munich University of Philosophy, Munich

Guatemala

• Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Guatemala City

Indonesia

• Wedabhakti Pontifical Faculty of Theology, Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta

Ireland

• St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Maynooth; Pontifical University charter 1896

Italy

• Marianum Theological Faculty, Rome
• Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm (Sant'Anselmo), Rome
• Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, Rome
• Pontifical Gregorian University (Gregorianum), Rome
• Pontifical Lateran University, Rome
• Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome
• Pontifical University of St. Anthony, Rome
• Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure (Seraphicum), Rome
• Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome
• Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome
• Salesian Pontifical University, Rome

Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

• Université Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Abidjan

Kenya

• Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi

Lebanon

• Holy Spirit University of Kaslik
• Saint Joseph University, Beirut

Mexico

• Pontifical University of Mexico, Mexico City

Panama

• Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, Panama City

Paraguay

• Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Asuncion

Peru

• Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru), Lima

Philippines

• The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila

Poland

• Pontifical University of John Paul II, Kraków

Portugal

• Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon

Spain

• Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid
• Pontifical University of Salamanca, Salamanca
• University of Deusto, Bilbao
• University of Navarra, Pamplona

Switzerland

• Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano, Lugano^[5]

United States

• Boston College School of Theology, Boston, MA
• The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
• International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton, Dayton, OH
• Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
• John Paul II Institute, Washington, DC
• Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, OH
• Pontifical Faculty at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary), Mundelein, IL
• Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception (PFIC), Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC
• St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, MD

United Kingdom

• Heythrop College, University of London; Bellarmine Institute, London, United Kingdom.

Uruguay

• Universidad Católica del Uruguay Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga, Montevideo

Former pontifical universities

• Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, until the German Reformation
• Lund Studium Generale, Lund, Sweden, until the Danish Reformation^[6]
• Royal and Pontifical University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina, until 1856, during the presidency of Justo José de Urquiza
• Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, until the Mexican War of Independence
• Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, Havana, Cuba, until 1961, after the Cuban Revolution
• Universidad de San Ignacio, Manila, Philippines, until 1768, after the Expulsion of the Jesuits
• Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (then in Haiti), until 1823, during the Unification of Hispaniola
• University of Aberdeen, Old Aberdeen, Scotland, until the Scottish Reformation
• University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, until the English Reformation
• University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, until the French Revolutionary Wars
• University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, until the Danish Reformation
• University of Erfurt, until the German Reformation
• University of Freiburg, until the Suppression of the Society of Jesus
• University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, until the Scottish Reformation
• University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany, until the German Reformation
• University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, until the German Reformation
• University of Mainz, until the French Revolutionary Wars
• University of Oxford, Oxford, England, until the English Reformation
• University of Paris, Paris, France, until the French Revolution
• University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany, until the German Reformation
• University of Saint Andrews, Saint Andrews, Scotland, until the Scottish Reformation
• University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru, until the Peruvian War of Independence
• University of Tübingen, until the German Reformation
• University of Wittenberg, until the German Reformation
• University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, until the Napoleonic Wars
• Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, until the Swedish Reformation

See also

• Academic degree
• Catholic university
• Doctor of Canon Law
• Ecclesiastical university
• Licentiate of Sacred Theology
• List of Roman Catholic seminaries

References

• Matthew Bunson, ed. (2010). Catholic Almanac 2010. Our Sunday Visitor. pp. 546–550.

1. http://www.avepro.va/ Accessed November 1, 2012
2. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_15041979_sapientia-christiana_en.html Sapientia Christiana], Accessed June 24, 2011
3. Agenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Università e Facoltà Ecclesiastiche (AVEPRO), http://www.avepro.va/ Accessed November 1. 2012
4. Principal source: "Pontifical Universities", Annuario Pontificio
5. Offers the S.T.B., according to "Gradi accademici" (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland: Faculty of Theology.
6. Denmark ruled Lund till the Great Northern War; Andrina Stiles (1992), Sweden and the Baltic, 1523—1721, London: Hodder & Stoughton.