A pontifical university or athenaeum is an

ecclesiastical university An ecclesiastical university is a special type of higher education school recognised by the Canon law (Catholic Church), Canon law of the Catholic Church. It is one of two types of universities recognised, the other type being the Catholic univers ...

established or approved directly by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

) and at least one other faculty. These academic institutes deal specifically with Christian revelation and related disciplines, and the Church's mission of spreading the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

, as proclaimed in the apostolic constitution ''Sapientia'' ''christiana''. As of 2018, they are governed by the apostolic constitution '' Veritatis gaudium'' issued by Pope Francis on 8 December 2017.

Quality and ranking

Pontifical universities follow a European system of study hour calculation, granting the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the ecclesiastical doctorate. These ecclesiastical degrees are prerequisites to certain offices in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, 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 lawyer Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

s must have at least the Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L.). In 2003 the

took 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".

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

established the Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO), an attempt to promote and develop a culture of quality within the ecclesiastical institutions and enable them to aim in developing internationally valid quality criteria. Compared to secular 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 Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, philosophy, and

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, 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''.Agenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Università e Facoltà Ecclesiastiche (AVEPRO), http://www.avepro.va/ Accessed 1 November. 2012

List of pontifical universities

Argentina * Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires Belgium *

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

Université catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...

, Louvain-la-Neuve Bolivia * The Royal and Pontifical Major University of Saint Francis Xavier of Chuquisaca Brazil * Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Campinas * Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiânia * Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte * Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, São Paulo * Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba * Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro * Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre Canada * Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto *

Regis College, Toronto Regis College is a Colleges of the University of Toronto, postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1930, it is ...

* Saint Paul University, Ottawa Chile * Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago * Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, Valparaíso Colombia * Pontifical Bolivarian University, Medellín * Pontifical Xavierian University, Bogotá Dominican Republic * Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santo Domingo, Santiago de Los Caballeros, and Puerto Plata. Ecuador * Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito France * Institut Catholique de Paris, Paris * Institut Catholique de Toulouse, Toulouse Germany * Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt & Ingolstadt Guatemala * Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Guatemala City India * Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram Pontifical Athenaeum, Bangalore * Jnana Deepa, Institute of Philosophy and Theology, Pontifical Athenaeum, Pune Ireland *

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...

, Maynooth; Pontifical University charter 1896 Can grant pontifical degrees. * The Irish Dominican House of Studies (Studium) can grant pontifical degrees from the Angelicum, since 1971, originally from St. Mary's Priory but since 2000 from St. Saviour's Priory, Dublin. Italy (Pontifical Institutes and Faculties are listed in the Ecclesiastical Universities article, while here are the Pontifical Universities and Atheneum.) * Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm (Anselmianum), Rome * Pontifical Athenaeum Queen of the Apostles (Regina Apostolorum), Rome * Pontifical Gregorian University (Gregoriana), Rome *

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

University of Navarra The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...

, Pamplona Ukraine * Superior Institute of Religious Sciences of St. Thomas Aquinas, Kyiv; since 1992. An institution of higher education in Kyiv (Ukraine), conducted by the Dominican Friars of the Vicariate General of Ukraine and affiliated to the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). United Kingdom * Mater Ecclesiae College, St Mary's University, Twickenham, London; since 2019. United States * Catholic University of America, Washington, DC * Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico * Pontifical College Josephinum,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

Uruguay * Universidad Católica del Uruguay Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga, Montevideo

Former pontifical universities

* Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, until the German Reformation in 1518 * Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany, until the German Reformation in 1518 * Lund Studium Generale, Lund, Sweden, until the Danish Reformation * 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 The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...

, Rome, Italy, until the

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy The proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy happened with a legal norm, normative act of the House of Savoy, Savoyard Kingdom of Sardinia — the law 17 March 1861, n. 4761 — with which Victor Emmanuel II assumed for himself and for his successors ...

in 1870. * Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, Havana, Cuba, until its closure in 1961, after the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

* 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 The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

, Old Aberdeen, Scotland, until the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Cambridge, England, until the

English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

* University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, until the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, Copenhagen, Denmark, until the Danish Reformation * University of Erfurt, until the German Reformation *

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

, until the

suppression of the Society of Jesus The suppression of the Society of Jesus was the removal of all members of the Jesuits from most of Western Europe and their respective colonies beginning in 1759 along with the abolition of the order by the Holy See in 1773; the papacy acceded ...

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, Glasgow, Scotland, until the Scottish Reformation * University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany, until the German Reformation * University of Mainz, until the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, Oxford, England, until the English Reformation *

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

, Paris, France, until the French Revolution in 1793 * 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 The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

, until the German Reformation * University of Wittenberg, until the German Reformation * University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, until the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

, Uppsala, Sweden, until the Swedish Reformation * Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin, Ireland. Pontifical Athenaeum (1968-2015) * Heythrop College, University of London; Bellarmine Institute, London, United Kingdom, until its closure 2018 * Pontifical College of Saint Pius X of Đà Lạt, Đà Lạt, Việt Nam; officially closed in 1977 after the Fall of Saigon, confiscated by the government in 1980

Pontifical faculties

* Pontifical Faculty of Philosophy and Theology, Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Heiligenkreuz * Theological Faculty, Catholic-Theological Private University Linz, Linz * Facoltà di Teologia di Lugano, Lugano * Marianum Theological Faculty, Rome * 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 * School of Theology and Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DCPontifical Status, CUA
/ref> * Wedabhakti Pontifical Faculty of Theology,

Sanata Dharma University Sanata Dharma University () abbreviated as USD or Sandhar, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational higher education institution run by the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus in Yogyakarta (city), Yogyakarta Indonesia. The two w ...

, Yogyakarta

Pontifical colleges

A number of national Roman Colleges designated as Pontifical Colleges serve primarily as residence halls for seminarians sent by the bishops of a particular country to study there, such as the Belgian Pontifical College. They may also provide housing for priests pursuing advanced degrees. Students may take classes at the Gregorian, the Angelicum or other universities in Rome. In addition, other members of the clergy may reside there when in Rome.

References

Sources

* {{authority control Catholic universities and colleges Types of university or college