ROME (CNS): At the request of Pope Francis, the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute will formally become one university in May.
Father Arturo Sosa, superior general of the Jesuits, informed the three on March 15 that “the new general statutes of the university, which permanently incorporate the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, will come into effect on 19 May 2024, which is Pentecost Sunday,” according to a March 18 press release from the Gregorian University.
Pope Francis had told a group of students from Jerusalem in January, The Biblicum and the Oriental Institute will become academic units of the university, the press release said.
With the students and faculties combined, the new Pontifical Gregorian University should have close to 3,500 students from more than 125 countries and more than 450 professors, based on 2021-22 figures released by the association of rectors of pontifical universities and institutions in Rome.
The Gregorian, the oldest and largest of the pontifical universities in Rome, traces its foundation back to the Roman College established in 1551 by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Today it offers degrees in theology, philosophy, canon law, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, safeguarding, spirituality, psychology and communications, among other programmes.
The Pontifical Biblical Institute was founded in 1909 and serves as a centre for advanced studies of sacred Scripture and ancient Near Eastern studies. The Pontifical Oriental Institute, established in 1917, is focused on the theology, liturgy, spirituality, traditions and canon law of the Eastern Christian Churches.
