FRANCIS
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION
VERITATIS GAUDIUM
VERITATIS GAUDIUM
ON ECCLESIASTICAL UNIVERSITIES AND
FACULTIES
FOREWORD
1.The
joy of truth (Veritatis Gaudium) expresses the restlessness of the human
heart until it encounters and dwells within God’s Light, and shares that Light
with all people.[1] For
truth is not an abstract idea, but is Jesus himself, the Word of God in whom is
the Life that is the Light of man (cf. Jn 1:4), the Son of God
who is also the Son of Man. He alone, “in revealing the mystery of the Father
and of his love, fully reveals humanity to itself and brings to light its very
high calling”.[2]
When
we encounter the Living One (cf. Rev 1:18) and the firstborn
among many brothers (cf. Rom 8:29), our hearts experience,
even now, amid the vicissitudes of history, the unfading light and joy born of
our union with God and our unity with our brothers and sisters in the common
home of creation. One day we will experience that endless joy in full communion
with God. In Jesus’ prayer to the Father – “that they may all be one; even as
you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us” (Jn 17:21)
– we find the secret of the joy that Jesus wishes to share in its fullness
(cf. Jn 15:11). It is the joy that comes from the Father
through the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth and of love,
freedom, justice and unity.
This
is the joy that the Church is impelled by Jesus to bear witness to and to
proclaim in her mission, unceasingly and with ever renewed vigour. The People
of God makes its pilgrim way along the paths of history, accompanying in
solidarity the men and women of all peoples and cultures, in order to shed the
light of the Gospel upon humanity’s journey towards the new civilization of
love. Closely linked to the Church’s evangelizing mission, which flows from her
very identity as completely committed to promoting the authentic and integral
growth of the human family towards its definitive fullness in God, is the vast
multidisciplinary system of ecclesiastical studies. This system has developed
over the centuries from the wisdom of the People of God, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit and in dialogue with, and discernment of, the signs of the
times and diverse cultural expressions.
It
is not surprising then that the Second Vatican Council, in its decisive and
prophetic effort to renew the Church’s life for a more effective mission in
this moment of history, in its Decree Optatam Totius called
for a faithful and creative review of ecclesiastical studies (cf. Nos. 13-22).
That review, after careful study and prudent testing, led to the Apostolic
Constitution Sapientia Christiana, promulgated by Saint John Paul
II on 15 April 1979. The Constitution further encouraged and refined the
Church’s efforts to support “Ecclesiastical Faculties and Universities,
which is to say those concerned particularly with Christian revelation and
questions connected therewith and which are therefore more closely connected
with her mission of evangelization”, as well as with other disciplines which,
“although lacking a special link with Christian revelation, can still help
considerably in the work of evangelizing”.[3]
Almost
forty years later, in fidelity to the spirit and directives of Vatican II and
for its own timely application, the Apostolic Constitution urgently needs to be
brought up to date. While remaining fully valid in its prophetic vision and its
clarity of expression, the Constitution ought to include the norms and
dispositions issued since its promulgation, and to take into account
developments in the area of academic studies in these past decades. There is
also a need to acknowledge the changed social-cultural context worldwide and to
implement initiatives on the international level to which the Holy See has
adhered.
This,
then, is a good occasion to promote with thoughtful and prophetic determination
the renewal of ecclesiastical studies at every level, as part of the new phase
of the Church’s mission, marked by witness to the joy born of encountering
Jesus and proclaiming his Gospel, that I set before the whole People of God as
a programme in Evangelii Gaudium.
2.The
Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana represented in
every respect the mature fruit of the great work of reforming ecclesiastical
studies initiated by the Second Vatican Council. In particular, it consolidated
the progress made in this crucial area of the Church’s mission under the wise
and prudent guidance of Blessed Paul VI, while at the same time heralding the
contribution, in continuity with the past, which would be made by the
magisterium of Saint John Paul II.
As
I have had occasion to note, “one of the main contributions of the Second
Vatican Council was precisely seeking a way to overcome this divorce between
theology and pastoral care, between faith and life. I dare say that the Council
has revolutionized to some extent the status of theology – the believer’s way
of doing and thinking”.[4] It
is precisely in this light that Optatum Totius strongly
proposes that ecclesiastical studies “be more suitably aligned and… work
harmoniously towards opening more and more the minds of the students to the
mystery of Christ. For it is this mystery which affects the whole history of
the human race, [and] continually influences the Church”.[5] In
order to achieve this, the conciliar Decree urges joining meditation with the
study of sacred Scripture, “the soul of all theology”,[6]together
with assiduous and conscious participation in the sacred Liturgy, the “primary
and indispensable source of the truly Christian spirit”,[7] and
the systematic study of the living Tradition of the Church in dialogue with all
people of our time, listening attentively to their concerns, their sufferings
and their needs.[8] Consequently, Optatam
Totius stresses, “pastoral concern… ought to permeate thoroughly the
entire training of the students”,[9] so
that they become accustomed to “transcending the limits of their own diocese,
nation, or rite, and to helping the needs of the whole Church, [and] prepared
in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere”.[10]
Pope
Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi and Populorum Progressio,
and John Paul II’s Redemptoris Hominis, issued only a month before
the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution, are milestones along the way
which led from these directives of Vatican II to Sapientia Christiana.
The prophetic inspiration of Pope Paul’s Apostolic Exhortation on
evangelization in the modern world is forcefully echoed in the Foreword
of Sapientia Christiana. There we read that “the Church’s mission
of spreading the Gospel not only demands that the Good News be preached ever
more widely and to ever greater numbers of men and women, but that the very
power of the Gospel should permeate thought patterns, standards of judgment,
and norms of behaviour. In a word, it is necessary that the whole of human
culture be steeped in the Gospel”.[11] John
Paul II, for his part, especially in the Encyclical Fides et Ratio,
reaffirmed and developed, with regard to the dialogue between philosophy and
theology, the conviction underlying Vatican II’s teaching that “the human being
can come to a unified and organic vision of knowledge. This is one of the tasks
which Christian thought will have to take up through the next millennium of the
Christian era”.[12]
Populorum
Progressio likewise
played a decisive role in the reordering of ecclesiastical studies in the light
of Vatican II. The experience of the various local Churches has shown that it,
together with Evangelii Nuntiandi, offered significant
encouragement and concrete direction for the inculturation of the Gospel and
the evangelization of culture in various regions of the world and in response
to present-day challenges. This social Encyclical of Paul VI, in fact,
incisively states that the development of peoples, essential for attaining
justice and peace worldwide, “must be well rounded; it must foster the
development of each man and of the whole man”.[13] It
also speaks of the need for “wise men in search of a new humanism, one which
will enable… [human persons to] find themselves”.[14] Populorum
Progressio thus interprets with prophetic vision the social question
as an anthropological question, one affecting the fate of the entire human
family.
This
is the distinct interpretative key that would inspire the Church’s subsequent
social teaching, from Laborem Exercens to Sollicitudo
Rei Socialis, to John Paul II’s Centesimus Annus, to Benedict
XVI’s Caritas in Veritate and to Laudato Si’.
Renewing the invitation to a new way of thinking proposed by Populorum
Progressio, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the urgent need “to experience and
to steer the globalization of humanity in relational terms, in terms of
communion and the sharing of goods”.[15] He
emphasized that God wants to associate humanity to that ineffable mystery of
communion that is the Blessed Trinity, of which the Church is a sign and
instrument in Jesus Christ.[16] For
this actually to take place, he invites us “to broaden the scope of reason”
thus enabling it to understand and guide the powerful new forces troubling the
human family, “animating them within the perspective of that ‘civilization of
love’ whose seed God has planted in every people, in every culture”.[17] This
in turn will “foster the interaction of the different levels of human
knowledge”, theological and philosophical, social and scientific.[18]
3.
This rich legacy of analysis and direction has been tested and enriched, as it
were, “on the ground” thanks to the persevering commitment to a social and
cultural meditation on the Gospel undertaken by the People of God in different
continental areas and in dialogue with diverse cultures. The time has now come
for it to be consolidated and to impart to ecclesiastical studies that wise and
courageous renewal demanded by the missionary transformation of a Church that
“goes forth”.
The
primary need today is for the whole People of God to be ready to embark upon a
new stage of “Spirit-filled” evangelization.[19] This
calls for “a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform”.[20] In
this process, a fitting renewal of the system of ecclesiastical studies plays a
strategic role. These studies, in fact, are called to offer opportunities and
processes for the suitable formation of priests, consecrated men and women, and
committed lay people. At the same time, they are called to be a sort of
providential cultural laboratory in which the Church carries out the
performative interpretation of the reality brought about by the Christ event
and nourished by the gifts of wisdom and knowledge by which the Holy Spirit
enriches the People of God in manifold ways – from the sensus fidei
fidelium to the magisterium of the bishops, and from the charism of
the prophets to that of the doctors and theologians.
This
is essential for a Church that “goes forth”! All the more so because today we
are not only living in a time of changes but are experiencing a true epochal
shift[21],
marked by a wide-ranging “anthropological”[22] and
“environmental crisis”.[23] Indeed,
we daily see “signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the
rapid pace of change and degradation; these are evident in large-scale natural
disasters as well as social and even financial crises”.[24] In
a word, this calls for “changing the models of global development” and
“redefining our notion of progress”.[25] Yet
“the problem is that we still lack the culture necessary to confront this
crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths”.[26]
This
vast and pressing task requires, on the cultural level of academic training and
scientific study, a broad and generous effort at a radical paradigm shift, or
rather – dare I say – at “a bold cultural revolution”.[27] In
this effort, the worldwide network of ecclesiastical universities and faculties
is called to offer the decisive contribution of leaven, salt and light of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living Tradition of the Church, which is ever
open to new situations and ideas.
Today
it is becoming increasingly evident that “there is need of a true evangelical
hermeneutic for better understanding life, the world and humanity, not of a
synthesis but of a spiritual atmosphere of research and certainty based on the
truths of reason and of faith. Philosophy and theology permit one to acquire
the convictions that structure and strengthen the intelligence and illuminate
the will... but this is fruitful only if it is done with an open mind and on
one’s knees. The theologian who is satisfied with his complete and conclusive
thought is mediocre. The good theologian and philosopher has an open, that is,
an incomplete, thought, always open to the maius of God and of
the truth, always in development, according to the law that Saint Vincent of
Lerins described in these words: annis consolidetur, dilatetur tempore,
sublimetur aetate (Commonitorium primum, 23: PL 50, 668)”.[28]
4.
Against this vast new horizon now opening before us, what must be the
fundamental criteria for a renewal and revival of the contribution of
ecclesiastical studies to a Church of missionary outreach? Here we can identify
at least four criteria that emerge from the Second Vatican Council’s teaching
and the Church’s experience in these past decades of having received that
teaching in attentive listening to the Holy Spirit and to the deepest needs and
most pressing questions of the human family.
a)
First, the most urgent and enduring criterion is that of contemplation and the
presentation of a spiritual, intellectual and existential introduction to the
heart of the kerygma, namely the ever fresh and attractive good news of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ,[29] which
continues to take flesh in the life of the Church and of humanity. [30] This
is the mystery of salvation, of which the Church, in Christ, is a sign and
instrument in the midst of all people.[31] The
Church is “a mystery rooted in the Trinity, yet she exists concretely in history
as a people of pilgrims and evangelizers, transcending any institutional
expression, however necessary... [and her] ultimate foundation is in the free
and gracious initiative of God”.[32]
This
joyful and life-giving contemplation of the face of God, revealed in Jesus
Christ as a Father rich in mercy (cf. Eph 2:4),[33] enables
us to live in a liberating and responsible way the experience the Church as a
“mystique” of living together.[34] This
provides the leaven of that universal fraternity which is “capable of seeing
the sacred grandeur of our neighbour, of finding God in every human being, of
tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of
opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as
their heavenly Father does”.[35] It
is also the source of the imperative to allow our hearts and minds to heed the
cry of the earth’s poor[36] and
to give concrete expression to the social dimension of evangelization,[37] which
is an integral part of the Church’s mission. For “God, in Christ, redeems not
only the individual person but also the social relations existing between men”.[38] It
is true that “we may not always be able to reflect adequately the beauty of the
Gospel, but there is one sign which we should never lack: the option for those
who are least, those whom society discards”.[39] This
option must pervade the presentation and study of Christian truth.
From
this comes the particular feature, in the formation of a Christian culture, of
discovering in the whole of creation the Trinitarian imprint that makes the
cosmos in which we live a “network of relations” in which “it is proper to
every living being to tend towards other things”. This in turn fosters “a
spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the
Trinity”.[40]
b)
A second guiding criterion, closely linked to and flowing from the first, is
that of wide-ranging dialogue, not as a mere tactical approach, but as an
intrinsic requirement for experiencing in community the joy of the Truth and appreciating
more fully its meaning and practical implications. Today our proclamation of
the Gospel and the Church’s doctrine are called to promote a culture of
encounter,[41] in
generous and open cooperation with all the positive forces that contribute to
the growth of universal human consciousness. A culture, we might say, of
encounter between all the authentic and vital cultures, thanks to a reciprocal
exchange of the gifts of each in that luminous space opened up by God’s love
for all his creatures.
As
Pope Benedict XVI pointed out, “truth, in fact, is logos which
creates dia-logos, and hence communication and communion”.[42] In
this light, Sapientia Christiana, echoing Gaudium et Spes,
urges dialogue with Christians of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, and
with those of other religious or humanistic convictions, maintaining “contact
with scholars of other disciplines, whether these are believers or not”, in an
effort to “evaluate and interpret the latter’s affirmations and judge them in
the light of revealed truth”.[43]
This
provides a positive and timely chance to review, from this standpoint and in
this spirit, the structure and method of the academic curricula proposed by the
system of ecclesiastical studies, in their theological foundations, in their
guiding principles and in their various levels of disciplinary, pedagogical and
didactical organization. This can be accomplished in a demanding but highly
productive effort to rethink and update the aims and integration of the
different disciplines and the teaching imparted in ecclesiastical studies
within this specific framework and intentionality. Today, in fact, “what is
called for is an evangelization capable of shedding light on these new ways of
relating to God, to others and to the world around us, and inspiring essential
values. It must reach the places where new narratives and paradigms are being
formed.”[44]
c)
From this follows the third fundamental criterion that I would propose:
inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches carried out with wisdom
and creativity in the light of Revelation. What distinguishes the academic,
formative and research approach of the system of ecclesiastical studies, on the
level of both content and method, is the vital intellectual principle of the
unity in difference of knowledge and respect for its multiple, correlated and
convergent expressions.
This
entails offering, through the various programmes proposed by ecclesiastical
studies, a variety of disciplines corresponding to the multifaceted richness of
reality disclosed by the event of Revelation, yet harmoniously and dynamically
converging in the unity of their transcendent source and their historical and
metahistorical intentionality, which is eschatologically disclosed in Christ
Jesus. In him, writes Saint Paul, “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge (Col 2:3). This theological, anthropological, existential
and epistemic principle takes on particular significance and is called to
manifest all its effectiveness within the system of ecclesiastical studies by
ensuring cohesion together with flexibility, and organicity together with
dynamism. It must also show its effectiveness in relation to the fragmented and
often disintegrated panorama of contemporary university studies and to the
pluralism – uncertain, conflicting and relativistic – of current beliefs and
cultural options.
Today,
as Benedict XVI noted in Caritas in Veritate, taking up the
cultural insights expressed by Paul VI in Populorum Progressio,
“there is a lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of thinking capable of
formulating a guiding synthesis”.[45] This
is where the specific mission entrusted to the programme of ecclesiastical
studies comes into play. The need for such a guiding synthesis not only makes
clear the intrinsic purpose of the programme of ecclesiastical studies, but
also demonstrates, especially today, its real cultural and humanizing
importance. Today’s recovery of an interdisciplinary approach is certainly
positive and promising,[46] even
in its “weak” form as a simple multidisciplinary approach that favours a better
understanding from several points of view of an object of study. It is all the
more so in its “strong” form, as cross-disciplinary, situating and stimulating
all disciplines against the backdrop of the Light and Life offered by the
Wisdom streaming from God’s Revelation.
It
follows that someone trained in the framework of the institutions promoted by
the system of ecclesiastical studies – as Blessed John Henry Newman wished for
– ought to know “just where he and his science stand; he has come to it, as it
were, from a height; he has taken a survey of all knowledge”.[47] So
too, in the nineteenth century, Blessed Antonio Rosmini called for a decisive
reform in the area of Christian education, restoring the four pillars on which
it firmly rested in the first centuries of the Christian era: “communion in
learning, holy intercourse, habit of life, interchange of affection”. What is
essential, he argued, is to restore the unity of content, perspective and aim
of the science being taught, on the basis of the Word of God and its
culmination in Christ Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. Without this living
centre, science has “neither root nor coherence” and simply remains “as a mere
matter of youthful memory”. Only in this way is it possible to overcome the
“fatal separation of theory and practice”, for in the unity of science and
holiness “we find the true spirit of that doctrine which is destined to save
the world”. For the teaching of that doctrine, in ancient times, “did not end
with the brief daily lesson; it was continued in the constant intercourse of
the disciple with his master”.[48]
d)
A fourth and final criterion concerns the urgent need for “networking” between
those institutions worldwide that cultivate and promote ecclesiastical studies,
in order to set up suitable channels of cooperation also with academic
institutions in the different countries and with those inspired by different
cultural and religious traditions. At the same time, specialized centres of
research need to be established in order to study the epochal issues affecting
humanity today and to offer appropriate and realistic paths for their
resolution.
As I
noted in Laudato Si’, “beginning in the middle of the last century
and in spite of many difficulties, there has been a growing conviction that our
planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home”.[49] Recognizing
this interdependence “obliges us to think of one world with a common
plan.[50] The
Church, in particular, in a convinced and prophetic response to the summons to
a renewed presence and mission in history issued by Vatican II, is called to
realize that the very catholicity that makes her a leaven of unity in diversity
and communion in freedom both demands and favours “the polarity between the
particular and the universal, between the one and the many, between the simple
and the complex. To annihilate this tension would be to go against the life of
the Spirit”.[51] What
is needed, then, is to practise a way of knowing and interpreting reality in
the light of the “mind of Christ” (cf. 1 Cor 2:16), wherein
the model for approaching and resolving problems “is not the sphere… where
every point is equidistant from the centre, and there are no differences
between them”, but rather “the polyhedron, which reflects the convergence of
all its parts, each of which preserves its distinctiveness”.[52]
Indeed,
“the history of the Church shows that Christianity does not have simply one
cultural expression, but rather, ‘remaining completely true to itself, with
unswerving fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel and the tradition of the
Church, it will also reflect the different faces of the cultures and peoples in
which it is received and takes root’.[53] In
the diversity of peoples who experience the gift of God, each in accordance
with its own culture, the Church expresses her genuine catholicity and shows
forth ‘the beauty of her varied face’.[54]In
the Christian customs of an evangelized people, the Holy Spirit adorns the
Church, showing her new aspects of revelation and giving her a new face”.[55]
This
way of seeing things clearly sets out a demanding task for theology just as, in
their own specific areas of competence, for the other disciplines contemplated
in ecclesiastical studies. With a fine image, Benedict XVI stated that the
Church’s tradition “is not a transmission of things or of words, a collection
of dead things. Tradition is the living river that links us to the origins, the
living river in which the origins are ever present”.[56] “This
river irrigates various lands, feeds various geographical places, germinating
the best of that land, the best of that culture. In this way, the Gospel
continues to be incarnated in every corner of the world, in an ever new way”.[57] Theology
must doubtless be rooted and grounded in sacred Scripture and in the living
tradition, but for this very reason it must simultaneously accompany cultural
and social processes, and particularly difficult transitions. Indeed, “at this
time theology must address conflicts: not only those that we experience within
the Church but also those that concern the world as a whole”.[58] This
involves “the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make
it a link in the chain of a new process”, thus acquiring “a way of making
history in a life setting where conflicts, tensions and oppositions can achieve
the diversified and life-giving unity. This is not to opt for a kind of
syncretism, or for the absorption of one into the other, but rather for a
resolution which takes place on a higher plane and preserves what is valid and
useful on both sides”.[59]
5.
The revival of ecclesiastical studies entails the pressing need to give new
impulse to the scientific research conducted in our ecclesiastical universities
and faculties. The Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana presented
research as a “primary duty”, in constant “contact with reality… to communicate
doctrine to [our] contemporaries in various cultures”.[60] Yet
in today’s multicultural and multiethnic world, new social and cultural
dynamics impose a broadening of these aims. Indeed, for the Church to carry out
her saving mission, “it is not enough that evangelizers be concerned to reach
each person… the Gospel is also proclaimed to the cultures as a whole”.[61] Ecclesiastical
studies cannot be limited to passing on knowledge, professional competence and
experience to the men and women of our time who desire to grow as Christians,
but must also take up the urgent task of developing intellectual tools that can
serve as paradigms for action and thought, useful for preaching in a world
marked by ethical and religious pluralism. To do so calls not only for profound
theological knowledge, but also the ability to conceive, design and achieve
ways of presenting the Christian religion capable of a profound engagement with
different cultural systems. All this calls for increased quality in scientific
research and a gradual improvement in the level of theological studies and
related sciences. It is not only a matter of extending the field of diagnosis
and of adding to the mass of available data for interpreting reality,[62] but
of a deeper study that seeks “to communicate more effectively the truth of the
Gospel in a specific context, without renouncing the truth, the goodness and
the light which it can bring wherever perfection is not possible”.[63]
It
is to research conducted in ecclesiastical universities, faculties and
institutes that I primarily entrust the task of developing that “creative
apologetics” which I called for in Evangelii Gaudium, in order to
“encourage greater openness to the Gospel on the part of all”.[64]
Indispensable
in this regard is the establishment of new and qualified centres of research
where – as I proposed in Laudato Si’ – scholars from different
religious universities and from different scientific fields can interact with
responsible freedom and mutual transparency, thus entering into “dialogue among
themselves for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building
networks of respect and fraternity”.[65] In
all countries, universities constitute the main centres of scientific research
for the advancement of knowledge and of society; they play a decisive role in
economic social and cultural development, especially in a time like our own,
marked as it is by rapid, constant and far-reaching changes in the fields of
science and technology. International agreements also take account of the vital
responsibility of universities for research policies and the need to coordinate
them by creating networks of specialized centres in order to facilitate, not
least, the mobility of researchers.
In
this regard, plans are under way for outstanding interdisciplinary centres and
initiatives aimed at accompanying the development of advanced technologies, the
best use of human resources and programmes of integration. Ecclesiastical
studies, in the spirit of a Church that “goes forth”, are likewise called to develop
specialized centers capable of deeper dialogue with the different scientific
fields. Specifically, shared and converging research between specialists of
different disciplines represents a particular service to the people of God, and
especially to the Magisterium. It also supports the Church’s mission of
proclaiming the good news of Christ to all, in dialogue with the different
sciences and in the service of a deeper understanding and application of truth
in the life of individuals and society.
Ecclesiastical
studies will thus be poised to make their specific and unique contribution of
inspiration and guidance, and will be able to articulate and express in a new,
challenging and realistic way their proper task. So it has always been and so
shall it ever be! Theology and Christian culture have lived up to their mission
whenever they were ready to take risks and remain faithful on the borderline.
“The questions of our people, their suffering, their battles, their dreams,
their trials, their worries possess an interpretational value that we cannot
ignore if we want to take the principle of the Incarnation seriously. Their
wondering helps us to wonder ourselves, their questions question us. All this
helps us to delve into the mystery of the Word of God, the Word that requires
and asks that we dialogue, that we enter into communion”.[66]
6.
What is taking shape before us today is “a great cultural, spiritual and
educational challenge, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of
renewal”.[67] This
is also the case for ecclesiastical faculties and universities.
May
a joyful and unshaken faith in Jesus, crucified and risen, the centre and Lord
of history, guide, enlighten and sustain us in these demanding and exciting
times marked by commitment to a renewed and far-sighted overall configuration
of ecclesiastical studies. Christ’s resurrection, with the superabundant gift
of the Holy Spirit, “everywhere calls forth seeds of this new world; even if
they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly
woven into the fabric of this history”.[68]
May
Mary Most Holy, who at the message of the angel conceived with ineffable joy
the Word of Truth, accompany our journey. May she obtain from the Father of all
good things the blessing of light and of love that we await, with hope and
childlike trust, from her Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the joy of the
Holy Spirit!
PART ONE
GENERAL NORMS
GENERAL NORMS
Section I
Nature and Purpose of Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties
Nature and Purpose of Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties
Article
1. To carry out the ministry of evangelization given to the Church by Christ,
the Church has the right and duty to erect and promote Universities and
Faculties which depend upon herself.[69]
Article
2. § 1. In this Constitution the terms Ecclesiastical Universities and
Faculties mean those institutions of higher education which have been
canonically erected or approved by the Apostolic See, which foster and teach
sacred doctrine and the sciences connected therewith, and which have the right
to confer academic degrees by the authority of the Holy See.[70]
§
2. They can be an Ecclesiastical University or Faculty sui iuris;
or an Ecclesiastical Faculty within a Catholic University,[71] or
an Ecclesiastical Faculty within some other kind of University.
Article
3. The purpose of Ecclesiastical Faculties are:
§
1. through scientific research to cultivate and promote their own disciplines,
i.e. those directly or indirectly connected with Christian revelation or which
directly serve the mission of the Church, and therefore especially to deepen
knowledge of Christian revelation and of matters connected with it, to
enunciate systematically the truths contained therein, to consider in the light
of revelation the most recent progress of the sciences, and to present them to
the people of the present day in a manner adapted to various cultures;
§
2. to train the students to a level of high qualification in their own
disciplines, according to Catholic doctrine, to prepare them properly to face
their tasks, and to promote the continuing permanent education of the ministers
of the Church;
§
3. to collaborate intensely, in accordance with their own nature and in close
communion with the Hierarchy, with the local and the universal Church the whole
work of evangelization.
Article
4. It is the duty of Bishops’ Conferences to follow carefully the life and
progress of Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties, because of their special
ecclesial importance.
Article
5. The canonical erection or approval of Ecclesiastical Universities and
Faculties is reserved to the Congregation for Catholic Education, which governs
them according to law.[72]
Article
6. Only Universities and Faculties canonically erected or approved by the Holy
See and ordered according to the norms of this present Constitution have the
right to confer academic degrees which have canonical value,[73] with
the exception of the special right of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.[74]
Article
7. The Statutes of each University or Faculty, which must be drawn up in
accordance with the present Constitution, require approval by the Congregation
for Catholic Education.[75]
Article
8. Ecclesiastical Faculties erected or approved by the Holy See in
non-Ecclesiastical universities, which confer both canonical and civil academic
degrees, must observe the prescriptions of the present Constitution, while
respecting the bilateral and multilateral conventions signed by the Holy See
with various nations or with the universities themselves.
Article
9. § 1. Faculties which have not been canonically erected or approved by the
Holy See may not confer academic degrees having canonical value.
§
2. Academic degrees conferred by such Faculties, if they are to have value for
some canonical effects only, require the recognition of the Congregation for
Catholic Education.
§
3. For this recognition to be given for individual degrees for a special
reason, the conditions laid down by the Congregation must be fulfilled.
Article
10. For the correct carrying out of the present Constitution, the Norms of
Application issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education must be
observed.
Section II
The Academic Community and Its Government
The Academic Community and Its Government
Article
11. § 1. The University or Faculty is community of study, research and
formation, which operates, on an official level, in pursuit of its primary
aims, listed in article 3, in conformity with the principles of the
evangelizing mission of the Church.
§
2. Within the academic community, all the people, either as individuals or as
members of councils, are, each according to his or her own status,
co-responsible for the common good and must strive to work for the same
community’s goals.
§
3. Therefore, their rights and duties within the academic community must be
accurately set down in the Statutes, to ensure that they are properly exercised
within correctly established limits.
Article
12. The Chancellor represents the Holy See to the University or Faculty and
equally the University or Faculty to the Holy See. He promotes the continuation
and progress of the University or Faculty and he fosters its communion with the
local and universal Church.
Article
13. § 1. The University or Faculty legally depends on the Chancellor, unless
the Holy See has established otherwise.
§
2. Where conditions favour such a post, it is also possible to have a
Vice-Chancellor, whose authority is determined in the Statutes.
Article
14. If the Chancellor is someone other than the local Ordinary, the statutory
norms are to establish how the Ordinary and the Chancellor carry out their
respective offices in mutual accord.
Article
15. The academic authorities are personal and collegial. Personal authorities
are, in the first place, the Rector or President and the Dean. The collegial
authorities are the various directive organisms or councils of both the
University and Faculty.
Article
16. The Statutes of the University or Faculty must very carefully set out the
names and offices of the academic authorities, determining the way they are
designated and their term of office, taking into account both the canonical
nature of the individual University or Faculty and the university practice in
the local area.
Article
17. Those designed as academic authorities are to be people who are truly
knowledgeable about university life and, usually, who come from among the
teachers of some Faculty.
Article
18. The following office-holders are appointed, or at least confirmed, by the
Congregation for Catholic Education:
-
the Rector of an Ecclesiastical University;
-
the President of an Ecclesiastical Faculty sui iuris;
-
the Dean of an Ecclesiastical Faculty that forms part of a Catholic University
or another kind of University.
Article
19. § 1. The Statutes determine how the personal and the collegial authorities
are to collaborate with each other, so that, carefully observing the principle
of collegiality, especially in more serious matters and above all in those of
an academic nature, the persons in authority will enjoy that exercise of power
which really corresponds to their office.
§
2. This applies, in the first place, to the Rector, who has the duty to govern
the entire University and to promote, in suitable ways, its unity, cooperation
and progress.
Article
20. § 1. When Faculties are parts of an Ecclesiastical University or a Catholic
University, their governance must be suitably coordinated through the Statutes
with the governance of the entire University in such a way that the good of the
single Faculties is assured at the same time that the good of the whole
University is promoted, and the cooperation of all the Faculties with each
other is favoured.
§
2. The canonical exigencies of Ecclesiastical Faculties must be safeguarded
even when such Faculties are inserted into another kind of University.
Article
21. When a Faculty is joined to a major seminary or college, the Statutes,
while always having due concern for cooperation in everything pertaining to the
students’ good, must clearly and effectively provide that the academic
direction and administration of the Faculty are correctly distinct from the
governance and administration of the major seminary or college.
Section III
Teachers
Teachers
Article
22. In each Faculty there must be a number of teachers, especially permanent
ones, which corresponds to the importance and development of the individual
disciplines as well as to the proper care and profit of the students.
Article
23. There must be various ranks of teachers, determined in the Statutes, according
to their measure of preparation, their insertion into the Faculty, their
permanence, and their responsibilities within the Faculty, taking into account
the university practice of the local area.
Article
24. The Statutes are to define which authorities are responsible for hiring,
naming, and promoting teachers, especially when it is a question of giving them
a permanent position.
Article
25. § 1. To be legitimately hired as a permanent teacher in a Faculty, a person
must:
1)
be distinguished by wealth of knowledge, witness of Christian and ecclesial
life, and a sense of responsibility;
2)
have a suitable Doctorate or equivalent title or exceptional and singular
scientific accomplishment;
3)
show documentary proof of suitability for doing scientific research, especially
by a published dissertation;
4)
demonstrate teaching ability.
§
2. These requirements for taking on permanent teachers must be applied also, in
proportionate measure, for hiring non-permanent ones.
§
3. In hiring teachers, the scientific requirements in current force in the
university practice of the local area should be taken into account.
Article
26. § 1. All teachers of every rank must be marked by an upright life,
integrity of doctrine, and devotion to duty, so that they can effectively contribute
to the proper goals of an Ecclesiastical academic institution. Should any of
these requirements subsequently cease to be, the teachers must be removed from
their post, observing the established procedures.[76]
§
2. Those who teach matters touching on faith and morals are to be conscious of
their duty to carry out their work in full communion with the authentic
Magisterium of the Church, above all, with that of the Roman Pontiff.[77]
Article
27. § 1 Those who teach disciplines concerning faith or morals must receive,
after making their profession of faith,[78] a
canonical mission from the Chancellor or his delegate, for they do not teach on
their own authority but by virtue of the mission they have received from the
Church. The other teachers must receive permission to teach from the Chancellor
or his delegate.
§
2. All teachers, before they are given a permanent post or before they are
promoted to the highest category of teacher, or else in both cases, as the
Statutes are to state, must receive a declaration of nihil obstat from
the Holy See.
Article
28. Promotion to the higher ranks of teachers is to take place only after a
suitable interval of time and with due reference to teaching skill, to research
accomplished, to the publication of scientific works, to the spirit of
cooperation in teaching and in research, and to commitment to the Faculty.
Article
29. The teachers, in order to carry out their tasks satisfactorily, must be
free from other employment which cannot be reconciled with their duty to do research
and to instruct, according to what the Statutes require for each rank of
teacher.[79]
Article
30. The Statutes must state:
a)
when and under which conditions a teaching post ends;
b)
for what reasons and in which ways a teacher can be suspended, removed, or even
deprived of his post, so as to safeguard suitably the rights of the teachers,
of the Faculty or University, and, above all, of the students and also of the
ecclesial community.
Section IV
Students
Students
Article
31. Ecclesiastical Faculties are open to all who can legally give testimony to
leading a moral life and to having completed the previous studies appropriate
to enrolling in the Faculty.
Article
32. § 1. To enrol in a Faculty in order to obtain an academic degree, one must
present that kind of study title which would be necessary to permit enrolment
in a civil university of one’s own country or of the country where the Faculty
is located.
§
2. The Faculty, in its own Statutes, should determine what, besides what is
contained in § 1 above, is needed for entrance into its course of study,
including ancient and modern language requirements.
§
3. The Faculty should also determine in its Statutes procedures for evaluating
the ways to treat the cases of refugees, exiles and persons in similar
situations who lack the normal documentation required.
Article
33. Students must faithfully observe the laws of the Faculty about the general
programme and about discipline – in the first place about the Plan of Studies,
class attendance, and examinations – as well as all that pertains to the life
of the Faculty. For this reason, the University and the individual Faculties
should arrange ways for the students to know the Statutes and Rule.
Article
34. The Statutes should define how the students, either individually or
collectively, take part in the academic community life in those aspects in
which they can contribute to the common good of the Faculty or University.
Article
35. The Statutes should equally determine how the students can, for serious
reasons, be suspended from certain rights or be deprived of them or even be
expelled from the Faculty, in such a way that the rights of the student, of the
Faculty or University, and also of the ecclesial community are appropriately
protected.
Section V
Officials and Administrative and Service Personnel
Officials and Administrative and Service Personnel
Article
36. § 1. In governing and administering a University or Faculty, the
authorities are to be assisted by officials trained for various tasks.
§
2. The officials are, first of all, the Secretary, the Librarian, the Financial
Procurator, and others whom the institution considers necessary. Their rights
and duties must be established in the Statutes or Rule.
Section VI
Plan of Studies
Plan of Studies
Article
37. § 1. In arranging the studies, the principles and norms which for different
matters are contained in ecclesiastical documents, especially those of the
Second Vatican Council, must be carefully observed. At the same time account
must be taken of sound advances coming from scientific progress which can
contribute to answering the questions being currently asked.
§
2. In the single Faculties let that scientific method be used which corresponds
to the needs of the individual sciences. Up-to-date didactic and teaching
methods should be applied in an appropriate way, in order to bring about the
personal involvement of the students and their active participation in their
studies.
Article
38. § 1. Following the norm of the Second Vatican Council, according to the
nature of each Faculty:
1)
just freedom[80] should
be acknowledged in research and teaching so that true progress can be obtained
in learning and understanding divine truth.
2)
At the same time let it be clear that:
a)
true freedom in teaching is necessarily contained within the limits of God’s
Word, as this is constantly taught by the Church’s Magisterium;
b)
likewise, true freedom in research is necessarily based upon firm adherence to
God’s Word and deference to the Church’s Magisterium, whose duty it is to
interpret authentically the Word of God.
§
2. Therefore, in such a weighty matter one must proceed with trust, and without
suspicion, but the same time with prudence and without rashness, especially in
teaching; moreover, one must carefully harmonize the necessities of science
with the pastoral needs of the People of God.
Article
39. In each Faculty the curriculum of studies is to be suitably organized in
steps or cycles, adapted to the material. They are usually as follows:
a)
first, a general instruction is imparted, covering a coordinated presentation of
all the disciplines, along with an introduction into scientific methodology;
b)
next, one section of the disciplines is studied more profoundly, at the same
time that the students practise scientific research more fully;
c)
finally, there is progress toward scientific maturity, especially through a
piece of written work that truly makes a contribution to the advance of the
science.
Article
40. § 1. The disciplines which are absolutely necessary for the Faculty to
achieve its purposes should be determined. Those also should be set out which
in a different way are helpful to these purposes and, therefore, how these are
suitably distinguished one from another.
§
2. In each Faculty the disciplines should be arranged in such a way that they
form an organic body, so as to serve the solid and coherent formation of the
students and to facilitate collaboration by the teachers.
Article
41. Lectures, especially in the basic cycle, must be given, and the students
must attend them, according to the norms to be determined in the Plan of
Studies.
Article
42. Practical exercises and seminars, mainly in the specialization cycle, must
be assiduously carried on under the direction of the teachers. These ought to
be constantly complemented by private study and frequent discussions with the
teachers.
Article
43. The Plan of Studies of the Faculty is to define which examinations or which
equivalent tests the students are to take, whether written or oral, at the end
of the semester or year, and especially of the cycle, so that their ability can
be verified in regard to continuing in the Faculty and in regard to receiving
academic degrees.
Article
44. Likewise the Statutes or Rule are to determine what value is to given for
studies taken elsewhere, especially in regard to being dispensed from some
disciplines or examinations or even in regard to reducing the curriculum,
always, however, respecting the prescriptions of the Congregation for Catholic
Education.
Section VII
Academic Degrees and Other Awards
Academic Degrees and Other Awards
Article
45. § 1. After each cycle of the curriculum of studies, the suitable academic
degree can be conferred, which must be established for each Faculty, with
attention given to the duration of the cycle and to the disciplines taught in
it.
§
2. Therefore, according to the general and special norms of this Constitution,
all degrees conferred and the conditions under which they are conferred are to
be determined in the Statutes of the individual Faculties.
Article
46. The academic degrees conferred by an Ecclesiastical Faculty are:
Baccalaureate, Licentiate, and Doctorate.
Article
47. Academic degrees can be given different names in the Statutes of the
individual Faculties, taking account of the university practice in the local
area, indicating, however, with clarity the equivalence these have with the
names of the academic degrees above and maintaining uniformity among the
Ecclesiastical Faculties of the same area.
Article
48. Nobody can obtain an academic degree unless properly enrolled in a Faculty,
completing the course of studies prescribed by the Plan of Studies, and
successfully passing the examinations and possibly other means of testing.
Article
49. § 1. In order to be admitted to the Doctorate, one must first have obtained
the Licentiate.
§
2. A requisite for obtaining a Doctorate, furthermore, is a doctoral
dissertation that makes a real contribution to the progress of science, written
under the direction of a teacher, publicly defended and collegially approved;
the principal part, at least, must be published.
Article
50. § 1. The Doctorate is the academic degree which enables one to teach in a
Faculty and which is therefore required for this purpose, the Licentiate is the
academic degree which enables one to teach in a major seminary or equivalent institution
and which is therefore required for this purpose.
§
2. The academic degrees which are required for filling various ecclesiastical
posts are to be stated by the competent ecclesiastical authority.
Article
51. An honorary Doctorate can be conferred for special scientific or cultural
merit in promoting the ecclesiastical sciences.
Article
52. As well as academic degrees, Faculties can also grant other degrees,
according to the variety of Faculties and the Plan of Studies of the individual
Faculties.
Section VIII
Didactic Facilities
Didactic Facilities
Article
53. In order to achieve its proper purposes, especially in regard to scientific
research, each University or Faculty must have an adequate library, in keeping
with the needs of the teachers and students. It must be correctly organized and
equipped with an appropriate catalogue.
Article
54. Through an annual allotment of money, the library must continually acquire
books, old and new, as well as the principal reviews, so as to be able
effectively to serve research, teaching of the disciplines, instructional
needs, and the practical exercises and seminars.
Article
55. The library must be headed by a trained librarian, assisted by a suitable
council. The librarian participates opportunely in the Council of the University
or Faculty.
Article
56. § 1. The Faculty must also have information and technical audio-visual
equipment, etc., to assist its didactic and research work.
§
2. In relationship to the special nature and purpose of a University or
Faculty, research institutions and scientific laboratories should also be
available, as well as other instruments needed for the accomplishment of its
ends.
Section IX
Financial Administration
Financial Administration
Article
57. A University or Faculty must have enough money to achieve its purposes properly.
Its financial endowments and its property rights are to be carefully described.
Article
58. The Statutes are to determine the duty of the Financial Officer as well as
the part the Rector or President and the University or Faculty Council play in money
matters, according to the norms of good economics and so as to preserve healthy
administration.
Article
59. The teaching and non-teaching personnel are to be paid a suitable
remuneration, taking account of the customs of the local area, and also taking
into consideration pensions and insurance protection.
Article
60. Likewise, the Statutes are to determinate the general norms that will
indicate the ways the students are to contribute to the expenses of the
University or Faculty, by paying academic fees.
Section X
Strategic Planning and Cooperation of Faculties
Strategic Planning and Cooperation of Faculties
Article
61. § 1. Great care must be given to what is called strategic planning, so as
to provide for the preservation and progress of Universities and Faculties, as
well as their suitable distribution in the various parts of the world.
§
2. To accomplish this end, the Congregation for Catholic Education is to be
helped by advice from the Bishops’ Conferences and from a commission of
experts.
Article
62. § 1. The erection or approval of a new University or Faculty is decided
upon by the Congregation for Catholic Education[81]when
all the requirements are fulfilled. In this the Congregation listens to the
local Ordinary or Eparch, the Bishops’ Conference, and experts especially from
neighbouring Faculties.
§
2. Four Ecclesiastical Faculties are needed to erect canonically an
Ecclesiastical University; three Ecclesiastical Faculties for an Ecclesiastical
Athenaeum.
§
3. An Ecclesiastical University and an Ecclesiastical Faculty sui iuris possess ipso
iure public juridic personality.
§
4. It pertains to the Congregation for Catholic Education to grant by decree
juridic personality to an Ecclesiastical Faculty that is part of a civil University.
Article
63. § 1. Affiliation of some institution with a Faculty for the purpose of
being able to grant the Baccalaureate is approved by the Congregation for
Catholic Education, after the conditions established by that same Congregation
are fulfilled.
§
2. It is highly desirable that theological study centres, whether diocesan or
religious, be affiliated to a Faculty of Theology.
Article
64. Aggregation to a Faculty and incorporation into a Faculty by an institution
for the purposes of also granting higher academic degrees is decided upon by
the Congregation for Catholic Education, after the conditions established by
that same Congregation are fulfilled.
Article
65. The erection of a Higher Institute of Religious Sciences requires it to be
linked with a Faculty of Theology, according to the particular norms published
by the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Article
66. Cooperation between Faculties, whether of the same University or of the
same region or of a wider territorial area, is to be diligently striven for.[82] In
fact, such cooperation is of great help in promoting the scientific research of
the teachers and a better formation of the students. It also fosters the
advance of interdisciplinary collaboration, which appears to be ever more
necessary, and it contributes to the development of complementarity among the
various Faculties. In general, it also helps to bring about the diffusion of
Christian wisdom throughout all culture.
Article
67. Whenever an Ecclesiastical University or Faculty no longer fulfils the
conditions that were necessary for its erection or approval, it pertains to the
Congregation for Catholic Education, having previously adverted the Chancellor
and the Rector or President, according to the circumstances and after having
heard the opinion of the diocesan or eparchial Bishop and of the Bishops’
Conference, to take the decision to suspend its academic rights, to revoke its
approval as an Ecclesiastical University or Faculty, or to suppress the
institute.
PART TWO
SPECIAL NORMS
SPECIAL NORMS
Article
68. Besides the norms common to all Ecclesiastical Faculties, which are
established in the first part of this Constitution, special norms are given
here-under for certain of those Faculties, because of their particular nature
and importance for the Church.
Section I
Faculty of Theology
Faculty of Theology
Article
69. A Faculty of Theology has the aim of profoundly studying and systematically
explaining, according to the scientific method proper to it, Catholic doctrine,
derived with the greatest care from divine revelation. It has the further aim
of carefully seeking the solution to human problems in the light of that same
revelation.
Article
70. § 1. The study of Sacred Scripture is, as it were, the soul of Theology,
which rests upon the written Word of God together with living Tradition, as its
perpetual foundation.[83]
§
2. The individual theological disciplines are to be taught in such a way that,
from their internal structure and from the proper object of each as well as
from their connection with other disciplines, such as Canon Law and Philosophy
as well as the anthropological sciences, the basic unity of theological
instruction is quite clear, and in such a way that all the disciplines converge
in a profound understanding of the mystery of Christ, so that this can be
announced with greater effectiveness to the People of God and to all nations.[84]
Article
71. § 1. Revealed truth must be considered also in connection with the
scientific accomplishments of evolving time, so that it can be seen “how faith
and reason give harmonious witness to the unity of all truth.”[85] Also,
its exposition is to be such that, without any change of the truth, there is
adaptation to the nature and character of every culture, taking special account
of the philosophy and the wisdom of various peoples. However, all syncretism
and every kind of false particularism are to be excluded.[86]
§
2. The positive values in the various cultures and philosophies are to be
sought out, carefully examined, and taken up. However, systems and methods
incompatible with Christian faith must not be accepted.
Article
72. § 1. Ecumenical questions are to be carefully treated, according to the
norms of competent Church authorities.[87]
§
2. Also to be carefully considered are relationships with non-Christian
religions.
§
3. Problems arising from atheism and other currents of contemporary culture are
to be scrupulously studied.
Article
73. In studying and teaching the Catholic doctrine, fidelity to the Magisterium
of the Church is always to be emphasized. In the carrying out of teaching
duties, especially in the basic cycle, those things are, above all, to be
imparted which belong to the received patrimony of the Church. Hypothetical or
personal opinions which come from new research are to be modestly presented as
such.
Article
74. The curriculum of studies of the Faculty of Theology comprises:
a)
the first cycle, fundamentals, which lasts for five years or ten semesters, or
else, when a previous two-year Philosophy course is an entrance requirement,
for three years or six semesters.
The
first two years must be primarily dedicated to a solid philosophical formation,
which is necessary for undertaking correctly the study of theology. The
Baccalaureate obtained in an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy substitutes
for first-cycle philosophy courses in theology Faculties. A Baccalaureate in
Philosophy obtained in a non-Ecclesiastical Faculty does not give grounds for
dispensing a student completely from the first-cycle philosophy courses in
Theology Faculties.
The
theological disciplines must be taught in such a way that what is presented is
an organic exposition of the whole of Catholic doctrine, together with an
introduction to theological scientific methodology.
The
cycle ends with the academic degree of Baccalaureate or some other suitable
degree as the Statutes of the Faculty determine.
b)
the second cycle, specialization, which lasts for two years or four semesters.
In this cycle the particular disciplines are taught corresponding to the nature
of the diverse specializations being undertaken. Also seminars and practical
exercises are conducted for the acquisition of the ability to do scientific
research.
The
cycle concludes with the academic degree of specialized Licentiate.
c)
the third cycle, in which for a suitable period of time scientific formation is
brought to completion, especially through the writing of a doctrinal
dissertation.
The
cycle concludes with the academic degree of Doctorate.
Article
75. § 1. To enrol in a Faculty of Theology, the student must have done the
previous studies called for in accordance with article 32 of this Constitution.
§
2. Where the first cycle of the Faculty lasts for only three years, the student
must submit proof of having properly completed a two-year course in philosophy
at an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy or at an approved institution.
Article
76. § 1. A Faculty of Theology has the special duty of taking care of the
scientific theological formation of those preparing for the priesthood and
those who are preparing to hold some particular ecclesiastical office;
therefore, it is necessary that there be a suitable number of priest teachers.
§
2. For this purpose, special courses suitable for seminarians should be
offered. It is also appropriate for the Faculty itself to offer the “pastoral
year” required for the priesthood, in addition to the five-year basic cycle. At
the end of this year, a special Diploma may be conferred.
Section II
Faculty of Canon Law
Faculty of Canon Law
Article
77. A Faculty of Canon Law, whether Latin or Oriental, has the aim of
cultivating and promoting the juridical disciplines in the light of the law of the
Gospel and of deeply instructing the students in these, so as to form
researchers, teachers, and others who will be trained to hold special
ecclesiastical posts.
a)
the first cycle, lasting for four semesters or two years, for those who have no
previous training in philosophy or theology, including those who already hold
an academic degree in civil law; in this cycle students should study the
fundamental concepts of canon law and the philosophical and theological
disciplines required for an advanced formation in canon law;
b)
the second cycle, lasting for six semesters or three years, during which the
canon law in all its expressions – normative, jurisprudential, doctrinal, praxis,
and especially the Code of the Latin Church or of the Oriental Churches –
should be studied in depth, by way of the complete study of its sources, both
magisterial and disciplinary, along with other disciplines having an affinity
with it;
c)
the third cycle, lasting for a suitable period of time, in which students
perfect the canon law training necessary for scholarly research in view of
preparing a doctoral dissertation.
Article
79. § 1. With regard to the studies prescribed for the first cycle, the Faculty
may make use of the studies done in another Faculty and which it can
acknowledge as responding to its needs.
§
2. The second cycle concludes with the Licentiate and the third with the
Doctorate.
§
3. The Plan of Studies of the Faculty is to define the special requirements for
the conferring of the academic degrees, observing the prescriptions of the
Congregation for Catholic Education.
Article
80. To enrol in a Faculty of Canon Law, the student must have done the previous
studies called for in accordance with article 32 of this Constitution.
Section III
Faculty of Philosophy
Faculty of Philosophy
Article
81. § 1. An Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy has the aim of investigating
philosophical problems according to scientific methodology, basing itself on a
heritage of perennially valid philosophy.[88] It
has to search for solutions in the light of natural reason and, furthermore, it
has to demonstrate their consistency with the Christian view of the world, of
man, and of God, placing in a proper light the relationship between philosophy
and theology.
§
2. Then, the students are to be instructed so as to make them ready to teach
and to fill other suitable intellectual posts as well as to prepare them to
promote Christian culture and to undertake a fruitful dialogue with the people
of our time.
Article
82. The curriculum of studies in an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy
includes:
a)
the first cycle, basics, in which for three years or six semesters an organic
exposition of the various parts of philosophy is imparted, which includes
treating the world, man, and God. It also includes the history of philosophy,
together with an introduction into the method of scientific research;
b)
the second cycle, the beginning of specialization, in which for two years or
four semesters through special disciplines and seminars a more profound
consideration is imparted in some sector of philosophy;
c)
the third cycle, in which, for a period of at least three years, philosophical
maturity is promoted, especially by means of writing a doctoral dissertation.
Article
83. The first cycle ends with the degree of Baccalaureate, the second with the
specialized Licentiate, and the third with the Doctorate.
Article
84. To enrol in the first cycle of a Faculty of Philosophy, the student must
have done the previous studies called for in accordance with article 32 of this
Apostolic Constitution.
If
a student, who has successfully completed the regular philosophy courses in the
first cycle of a Theology Faculty, wants to continue philosophical studies in
order to obtain the Baccalaureate in an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy,
due account must be taken of the courses that the student has attended during
the aforementioned studies.
Section IV
Other Faculties
Other Faculties
Article
85. Besides the Faculties of Theology, Canon Law, and Philosophy, other
Faculties have been or can be canonically erected, according to the needs of
the Church and with a view to attaining certain goals, as for instance:
a)
a more profound study of certain sciences which are of greater importance to
the theological, juridical, philosophical and historical disciplines;
b)
the promotion of other sciences, first of all the humanities, which have a
close connection with the theological disciplines or with the work of
evangelization;
c)
the deeper cultivation of literature, so that it can provide a special help
both for a better understanding of Christian revelation and for carrying on
more efficaciously the work of evangelization;
d)
finally, a more accurate preparation both of clerics and laity so that they may
worthily carry out some special duties of the apostolate.
Article
86. It belongs to the Congregation for Catholic Education to set out, in
accordance with circumstances, special norms for these Faculties or Institutes,
just as has been done in the above sections for the Faculties of Theology,
Canon Law, and Philosophy.
Article
87. The Faculties and Institutes for which special norms have not yet been set
out must also draw up their own Statutes. These must conform to the General
Norms established in the first part of this Constitution, and they must take
into account the special nature and purpose proper to each of these Faculties
or Institutes.
Final Norms
Article
88. This present Constitution will come into effect on the first day of the
2018-2019 academic year or of the 2019 academic year, according to the academic
calendar in use in various places.
Article
89. § 1. Each University or Faculty must, before December 8, 2019, present its
Statutes and Plan of Studies, revised according to this Constitution, to the
Congregation for Catholic Education.
§
2. Any modifications to the Statutes or Plan of Studies require the approval of
the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Article
90. In each Faculty the studies must be arranged so that the students can
acquire academic degrees according to the norms of this Constitution,
preserving the students’ previously acquired rights.
Article
91. The Statutes and the Plan of Studies of new Faculties are to be
approved ad experimentum so that, within the three-year period
after approval, they may be perfected with a view to being approved
definitively.
Article
92. Those Faculties which have a juridical connection with civil authorities
may, if necessary, be given a longer period of time to revise their Statutes,
with the permission of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Article
93. § 1. It is the task of the Congregation for Catholic Education, when, with
the passage of time, circumstances shall require it, to propose changes to be
introduced into this Constitution, so that this same Constitution may be
continuously adapted to the new needs of Ecclesiastical Faculties.
§
2. Only the Congregation for Catholic Education can dispense from observing any
article of this Constitution or Norms of Application, or from the approved
Statutes and Plan of Studies of each University or Faculty.
Article
94. All laws and customs presently obtaining which are in contradiction to this
Constitution are abrogated, whether these are universal or local, even if they
are worthy of special or individual mention. Likewise completely abrogated are
all privileges hitherto granted by the Holy See to any person, whether physical
or moral, if these are contrary to the prescriptions of this Constitution.
All
that I have laid down in this Apostolic Constitution, I order be observed in
full, anything whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding, even if worthy of
particular mention, and that it be published in the official gazette Acta
Apostolicae Sedis.
Given
in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 2017, the fifth of my
Pontificate.
FRANCISCUS
APPENDIX I
Foreword of the Apostolic
Constitution Sapientia Christiana (1979)
I
Christian
wisdom, which the Church teaches by divine authority, continuously inspires the
faithful of Christ zealously to endeavour to relate human affairs and
activities with religious values in a single living synthesis. Under the
direction of these values all things are mutually connected for the glory of
God and the integral development of the human person, a development that
includes both corporal and spiritual well - being.[89]
Indeed,
the Church’s mission of spreading the Gospel not only demands that the Good
News be preached ever more widely and to ever greater numbers of men and women,
but that the very power of the Gospel should permeate thought patterns,
standards of judgment, and norms of behaviour; in a word, it is necessary that
the whole of human culture be steeped in the Gospel.[90]
The
cultural atmosphere in which a human being lives has a great influence upon his
or her way of thinking and, thus, of acting. Therefore, a division between
faith and culture is more than a small impediment to evangelization, while a
culture penetrated with the Christian spirit is an instrument that favours the spreading
of the Good News.
Furthermore,
the Gospel is intended for all peoples of every age and land and is not bound
exclusively to any particular culture. It is valid for pervading all cultures
so as to illumine them with the light of divine revelation and to purify human
conduct, renewing them in Christ.
For
this reason, the Church of Christ strives to bring the Good News to every
sector of humanity so as to be able to convert the consciences of human beings,
both individually and collectively, and to fill with the light of the Gospel
their works and undertakings, their entire lives, and, indeed, the whole of the
social environment in which they are engaged. In this way the Church carries
out her mission of evangelizing also by advancing human culture.[91]
II
In
this activity of the Church with regard to culture, Catholic universities have
had and still have special importance. By their nature they aim to secure that
“the Christian outlook should acquire a public, stable and universal influence
in the whole process of the promotion of higher culture.”[92]
In
fact, as my Predecessor Pope Pius XI recalled in the preface to the Apostolic
Constitution Deus Scientiarum Dominus,[93] there
arose within the Church, from her earliest period, didascaleia for
imparting instruction in Christian wisdom so that people’s lives and conduct
might be formed. From these houses of Christian wisdom the most illustrious
Fathers and Doctors of the Church, teachers and ecclesiastical writers, drew
their knowledge.
With
the passing of centuries schools were established in the neighbourhood of
cathedrals and monasteries, thanks especially to the zealous initiatives of
bishops and monks. These schools imparted both ecclesiastical doctrine and
secular culture, forming them into one whole. From these schools arose the
universities, those glorious institutions of the Middle Ages which, from their
beginning, had the Church as their most bountiful mother and patroness.
Subsequently,
when civil authorities, to promote the common good, began and developed their
own universities, the Church, loyal to her very nature, did not desist from
founding and favouring such kinds of centres of learning and institutions of
instruction. This is shown by the considerable number of Catholic universities
established in recent times in nearly all parts of the world. Conscious of her
worldwide salvific mission, the Church wishes to be especially joined to these
centres of higher learning and she desires that they flourish everywhere and
work effectively to make Christ’s true message present in the field of human
culture and to make it advance in that field.
In
order that Catholic universities might better achieve this goal, my Predecessor
Pope Pius XII sought to stimulate their united activity when, by his Apostolic
Brief of July 27, 1949, he formally established the International Federation of
Catholic Universities. It was “to include all Athenaea which the Holy See
either has canonically erected or will in the future erect in the world, or
will have explicitly recognized as following the norms of Catholic teaching and
as completely in conformity with that teaching.”[94]
The
Second Vatican Council, for this reason, did not hesitate to affirm that “the
Church devotes considerable care to schools of higher learning,” and it
strongly recommended that Catholic universities should “be established in
suitable locations throughout the world” and that “the students of these
institutions should be truly outstanding in learning, ready to shoulder duties
of major responsibility in society and to witness to the faith before the
world.”[95] As
the Church well knows, “the future of society and of the Church herself is
closely bound up with the development of young people engaged in higher
studies.”[96]
III
It
is not surprising, however, that among Catholic universities the Church has
always promoted with special care Ecclesiastical Faculties and Universities,
which is to say those concerned particularly with Christian revelation and
questions connected therewith and which are therefore more closely connected
with her mission of evangelization.
In
the first place, the Church has entrusted to these Faculties the task of
preparing with special care students for the priestly ministry, for teaching
the sacred sciences, and for the more arduous tasks of the apostolate. It is
also the task of these Faculties “to explore more profoundly the various areas
of the sacred disciplines so that day by day a deeper understanding of sacred
revelation will be developed, the heritage of Christian wisdom handed down by
our ancestors will be more plainly brought into view, dialogue will be fostered
with our separated brothers and sisters and with non - Christians, and
solutions will be found for problems raised by doctrinal progress.”[97]
In
fact, new sciences and new discoveries pose new problems that involve the
sacred disciplines and demand an answer. While carrying out their primary duty
of attaining through theological research a deeper grasp of revealed truth,
those engaged in the sacred sciences should therefore maintain contact with
scholars of other disciplines, whether these are believers or not, and should
try to evaluate and interpret the latters’ affirmations and judge them in the
light of revealed truth.[98]
From
this assiduous contact with reality, theologians are also encouraged to seek a
more suitable way of communicating doctrine to their contemporaries working in
other various fields of knowledge, for “the deposit of faith, or the truths
contained in our venerable doctrine, is one thing; quite another is the way in
which these truths are formulated, while preserving the same sense and
meaning.”[99] This
will be very useful so that among the People of God religious practice and
uprightness of soul may proceed at an equal pace with the progress of science
and technology, and so that, in pastoral work, the faithful may be gradually
led to a purer and more mature life of faith.
The
possibility of a connection with the mission of evangelization also exists in
Faculties of other sciences which, although lacking a special link with
Christian revelation, can still help considerably in the work of evangelizing.
These are looked at by the Church precisely under this aspect when they are
erected as Ecclesiastical Faculties. They therefore have a particular
relationship with the Church’s Hierarchy.
Thus,
the Apostolic See, in carrying out its mission, is clearly aware of its right
and duty to erect and promote Ecclesiastical Faculties dependent on itself,
either with a separate existence or as parts of universities, Faculties
destined for the education of both ecclesiastical and lay students. This See is
very desirous that the whole People of God, under the guidance of their
Shepherds, should cooperate to ensure that these centres of learning contribute
effectively to the growth of the faith and of Christian life.
IV
Ecclesiastical
Faculties – which are ordered to the common good of the Church and have a valuable
relationship with the whole ecclesial community – ought to be conscious of
their importance in the Church and of their participation in the ministry of
the Church. Indeed, those Faculties which treat of matters that are close to
Christian revelation should also be mindful of the orders which Christ, the
Supreme Teacher, gave to His Church regarding this ministry: “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you” (Mt. 28:19 - 20). From this it follows that there must be in
these Faculties that adherence by which they are joined to the full doctrine of
Christ, whose authentic guardian and interpreter has always been through the
ages the Magisterium of the Church.
Bishops’
Conferences in the individual nations and regions where these Faculties exist
must diligently see to their care and progress, at the same time that they
ceaselessly promote their fidelity to the Church’s doctrine, so that these
Faculties may bear witness before the whole community of the faithful to their
wholehearted following of the above-mentioned command of Christ. This witness
must always be borne both by the Faculty as such and by each and every member
of the Faculty. Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties have been constituted
in the Church for the building up and perfecting of Christ’s faithful, and they
must always bear this in mind as a criterion in the carrying out of their work.
Teachers
are invested with very weighty responsibility in fulfilling a special ministry
of the word of God and in being instructors of the faith for the young. Let
them, above all, therefore be for their students, and for the rest of the
faithful, witnesses of the living truth of the Gospel and examples of fidelity
to the Church. It is fitting to recall the serious words of Pope Paul VI: “The
task of the theologian is carried out with a view to building up ecclesial
communion so that the People of God may grow in the experience of faith.”[100]
V
To
attain these purposes, Ecclesiastical Faculties should be organized in such a
way as to respond to the new demands of the present day. For this reason, the
Second Vatican Council stated that their laws should be subjected to revision.[101]
In
fact, the Apostolic Constitution Deus Scientiarum Dominus,
promulgated by my Predecessor Pope Pius XI on May 24, 1931, did much in its
time renew higher ecclesiastical studies. However, as a result of changed
circumstances, it now needs to be suitably adapted and altered.
In
the course of nearly fifty years great changes have taken place not only in
civil society but also in the Church herself. Important events, especially the
Second Vatican Council, have occurred, events which have affected both the
internal life of the Church and her external relationships with Christians of
other churches, with non-Christians, and with non-believers, as well as with
all those in favour of a more human civilization.
In
addition, there is a steadily growing interest being shown in the theological
sciences, not only among the clergy but also by lay people, who are attending
theological schools in increasing numbers. These schools have, as a
consequence, greatly multiplied in recent times.
Finally,
a new attitude has arisen about the structure of universities and Faculties,
both civil and ecclesiastical. This is a result of the justified desire for a
university life open to greater participation, a desire felt by all those in
any way involved in university life.
Nor
can one ignore the great evolution that has taken place in pedagogical and
didactic methods, which call for new ways of organizing studies. Then too there
is the closer connection that is being felt more and more between various
sciences and disciplines, as well as the desire for greater cooperation in the
whole university environment.
To
meet these new demands, the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education,
responding to the mandate received from the Council, already in 1967 began to
study the question of renewal along the lines indicated by the Council. On May
20, 1968, it promulgated the Normae quaedam ad Constitutionem
Apostolicam “Deus Scientiarum Dominus” de studiis academicis ecclesiasticis
recognoscendam, which has exercised a beneficial influence during recent
years.
VI
Now,
however, this work needs to be completed and perfected with a new law. This
law, abrogating the Apostolic Constitution Deus Scientiarum Dominus and
the Norms of Application attached to it, as well as the Normae quaedam published
on May 20, 1968, by the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, includes
some still valid elements from these documents, while laying down new norms
whereby the renewal that has already successfully begun can be developed and
completed.
Nobody
is unaware of the difficulties that appear to impede the promulgation of a new
Apostolic Constitution. In the first place, there is the “passage of time”
which brings changes so rapidly that it seems impossible to lay down anything
stable and permanent. Then there is the “diversity of places” which seems to
call for a pluralism which would make it appear almost impossible to issue
common norms, valid for all parts of the world.
Since
however there exist Ecclesiastical Faculties throughout the world, which are
erected and approved by the Holy See and which grant academic degrees in its
name, it is necessary that a certain substantial unity be respected and that
the requisites for gaining academic degrees be clearly laid down and have
universal value. Things which are necessary and which are foreseen as being
relatively stable must be set down by law, while at the same time a proper
freedom must be left for introducing into the Statutes of the individual
Faculties further specifications, taking into account varying local conditions
and the university customs obtaining in each region. In this way, legitimate
progress in academic studies is neither hindered nor restricted, but rather is
directed through right channels towards obtaining better results. Moreover,
together with the legitimate differentiation of the Faculties, the unity of the
Catholic Church in these centres of education will also be clear to everyone.
Therefore,
the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, by command of my Predecessor
Pope Paul VI, has consulted first of all, the Ecclesiastical Universities and
Faculties themselves, then, the departments of the Roman Curia and the other
bodies interested. After this, it established a commission of experts who,
under the direction of the same Congregation, have carefully reviewed the
legislation covering ecclesiastical academic studies.
This work has now been successfully completed, and
Pope Paul VI was about to promulgate this Constitution, as he so ardently desired
to do, when he died; likewise Pope John Paul I was prevented by sudden death
from doing so. After long and careful consideration of the matter, I decree and
lay down, by my apostolic authority, the following laws and norms. (to be continued)
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