Ex Corde Ecclesiae

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Ex Corde Ecclesiae (Latin:"From the Heart of the Church") is an Apostolic constitution written by Pope John Paul II regarding Catholic colleges and universities. Promulgated on August 15, 1990, its aim was to define and refine the catholicism of Catholic institutions of higher education as of the first day of the academic year 1991. Institutions claiming to be Catholic after this date required afirmation from "the Holy See, by an Episcopal Conference or another Assembly of Catholic Hierarchy, or by a diocesan Bishop". Institutions claiming to be Catholic before this date are considered Catholic unless declared otherwise by the same.

Bishops in the United States, in particular, interpreted this doctrine to mean that all teachers of theology in Catholic colleges and universities must be "mandated" by ecclesiastical authorities.^{[citation needed]} This doctrine and interpretation have been criticized by many in American Catholic higher education as violating institutional autonomy (and reversing the emphasis on freedom including academic freedom which sprang from the Second Vatican Council), although some Catholics, including culturally conservative Catholic educators, have applauded it.^{[citation needed]}