Pope invites bishops worldwide to support Lateran University

By Vatican News

The Pontifical Lateran University (PUL) is preparing for a rich programme of spring events which will culminate on May 15 with an Open Day to showcase its faculties, degree courses, and facilities to future students.

Upcoming important events hosted by PUL

This same day will also feature an important theological conference exploring the identity and mission of theology professors, a topic inspired by the conclusions of the International Congress on "The Future of Theology" held by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education in late 2024.

In continuity with its commitment to its dual identity as a centre of academic excellence and a vital instrument in the Church’s mission, the university will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea on April 28, with a workshop that will revisit this foundational moment in Christian history.  

The event aligns with Pope Francis's repeated references to the Council’s relevance, particularly in promoting ecumenical dialogue. It is a clear indication that PUL does not merely preserve the Church’s historical memory, but reinterprets it dynamically to serve current pastoral and theological concerns.

The university’s spring calendar also includes a Synodality Day on April 10, which echoes the current ecclesial emphasis on shared discernment and communion, and a conference on May 6 marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords, highlighting the university’s interdisciplinary focus and its engagement with global issues through its Peace Sciences programme.

Pope Francis' Letter

These events are part of a broader mission that Pope Francis has recently emphasized in a Letter he sent to Nunciatures before his hospitalization calling on bishops worldwide to support PUL.

In the letter, the Pope reminds them that "The constant and renewed impulse for evangelization, which drives the Church’s mission in diverse and ever new situations, cannot come to fruition without the foundation of a solid and expert theological and spiritual formation." 

"Indeed, "he says, "this facilitates the necessary cultural mediation of the faith, which, while articulated in a reflection open to dialogue with other fields of knowledge, finds its primary and perennial source in Jesus Christ and corresponds 'to the multifaceted richness of reality disclosed by the event of Revelation.'"

"The common setting called to be a “cultural laboratory” for the elaboration of such thought is principally that of Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties, now present in every continent." However, while In acknowledging the valuable contribution made by every academic centre in the world,  the Pope recalls "the special role played by the Pontifical Academic Institutions in Rome."

"These Universities, Athenaeums and Institutes, which often express the charism of a religious family," the letter remarks, "have for centuries provided formation and research opportunities for the benefit of the whole Church."

A service spanning over 250 years

Among these institutions, the Pope notes, “I wish to highlight the Pontifical Lateran University, which has been offering its educational service for over 250 years and, by virtue of its special bond with the Pope, holds the title of the University of the Bishop of Rome.”

Therefore, the letter emphasizes that “it is desirable that every year, when sending students to the Pontifical Universities and Faculties of Rome, the Dioceses, Religious Institutes and Lay Associations give special consideration to the Pontifical Lateran University, where young people can deepen their study of philosophy, theology, pastoral theology, canon law and comparative civil law, and peace and ecological studies."

“At the same time,” Pope Francis concludes, “even when it is not possible to send students to Rome, I would ask you to participate in the Church’s mission of formation by actively supporting our Alma Mater through research projects, scholarships or other initiatives."

Some data

In the 2023–2024 academic year, the Lateran University had 1,137 students and 139 professors. Its academic structure includes: the Faculties of Theology and Philosophy, the Institutum Utriusque Iuris, the Faculties of Canon Law and Civil Law, the Redemptor Hominis Pastoral Institute, the Study Programme in Peace and International Cooperation Sciences, and the Study Program in Ecology and Environment — Care for Our Common Home and Protection of Creation.

Additionally, it houses several affiliated institutes with with autonomous academic management , such as the the Pontifical Higher Institute of Moral Theology - Alfonsian Academy; the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum, and the Pontifical Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life Claretianum, reinforcing its position as a multifaceted educational hub.