Pontifical university

A pontifical university is a Catholic University established by and directly under the authority of the Holy See. It is licensed to grant academic degrees in sacred faculties, the most important of which are Sacred Theology, Canon Law, Sacred Scripture and Philosophy. Pontifical universities follow a European system of degrees in the sacred faculties, granting the baccalaureate, the licentiate, and the doctorate.

Independent institutions or individual faculties at non-pontifical universities may also be given charters by the Holy See to grant ecclesiastical degrees, usually in one or two specific fields. These are referred to as a "pontifical faculty" or "pontifical institute" to distinguish it from an entire "pontifical university."

These ecclesiastical degrees are prerequisites to certain offices in the Roman Catholic Church, especially considering that bishop candidates are selected mainly from priests who are doctors of sacred theology (S.T.D.) or canon law (J.C.D.) and that ecclesiastical judges and attorneys must at least be licentiates of canon law (J.C.L.).

Contents

List of pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties

<Principal source: 'Pontifical Universities', Annuario Pontificio>

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Cameroon

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Croatia

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

France

Germany

Guatemala

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

Kenya

Lebanon

Malta

Mexico

Netherlands

Nigeria

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Spain

Switzerland

Taiwan

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Edited by Nash Alonto

References

Matthew Bunson, ed (2010). Catholic Almanac 2010. Our Sunday Visitor. pp. 546–550. 

See also