University established or approved by the Roman Catholic Church
A pontifical university is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These academic institutes deal specifically with Christian revelation and related disciplines, and the Church's mission of spreading the Gospel, as proclaimed in the apostolic constitutionSapientiachristiana.[1] As of 2018, they are governed by the apostolic constitution Veritatis gaudium issued by Pope Francis on 8 December 2017.
Pontifical colleges and universities are generally nondenominational, in that they accept anyone regardless of academic merit, religion or denominational affiliation, race or ethnicity, nationality, or civil status, provided the admission or enrollment requirements and legal documents are submitted, and the campus regulations are obeyed. However, some faculties or degrees and disciplines may be for Catholics only, and non-Catholics, whether Christian or not, may be exempted from participating in otherwise required campus activities, particularly those of a religious nature.[citation needed]
In 2003 the Holy See 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 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.[2]
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, philosophy, and canon law, and at least one other faculty. A pontifical university specifically addresses Christian revelation and disciplines correlative to the evangelical mission of the Church as set out in the apostolic constitutionSapientia christiana".[3][2]
List of pontifical universities
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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).
Additionally, numerous other United States institutions have arrangements by which they may grant pontifical degrees, including:
Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, MI; offers the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) which is conferred by the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum) through the faculty of SHMS.[8]
Kenrick–Glennon Seminary, Shrewsbury, MO; offers the STB through the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.[10]
Mount St. Mary's University Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD; offers the STB through the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.[11]
Mount Angel Abbey's Seminary, Saint Benedict, OR; offers the STB through the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome.[12]
St. Bernard's Seminary, Rochester, NY; was granted by Pope Leo XIII the ability to award pontifical degrees up to and including the Doctorate in Theology and Philosophy.[13]
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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. It 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.[citation needed]
^"AVEPRO". avepro.va. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
^ abAgenzia della Santa Sede per la Valutazione e la Promozione della Qualità delle Università e Facoltà Ecclesiastiche (AVEPRO), http://www.avepro.va/Archived 8 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 1 November. 2012
^Zwierlein, Frederick. The Life and Letters of Bishop McQuaid: Prefaced with the History of Catholic Rochester Before His Episcopate, Volume 3 (Rochester, 1927), p. 454–455.
^Denmark ruled Lund till the Great Northern War; Andrina Stiles (1992), Sweden and the Baltic, 1523–1721, London: Hodder & Stoughton.
^Offers the S.T.B., according to "Gradi accademici" (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland: Faculty of Theology. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.