JPII Institute looking to continue international expansion

Leaders note the great interest of the synod fathers in this project.

Leaders of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute are hoping the institution can further expand internationally, joining with institutions to work together on projects.

Bishop Pierangelo Sequeri, president of the specialized institute on marriage and the family, said this November 5 as he solemnly inaugurated the academic year in a crowded amphitheater.

For his part, Bishop Vicenzo Paglia, grand chancellor of the Institute, noted how the synod fathers at October’s synod on young people were very interested in the work, as is Pope Francis himself.

Many bishops asked during the synod “to explore ways to collaborate or to imagine agreements to carry out joint projects,” he said.

We must now consolidate the network of collaboration with other institutes and dioceses interested in these same issues, said the grand chancellor. It is therefore a question of “broadening our reflection” on the major themes of marriage, the family, and the “primordial pact between man and woman” through dialogue in all fields.

For his part, Bishop Sequeri emphasized the institute’s “dynamism,” visible in particular with the creation of the Gaudium et Spes chair at the origin of several initiatives of debates and studies. In addition, the president announced the expansion of this chair with the opening of an “international research space in the field of cultural anthropology.”

Founded in 1981, the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Family and Marriage Sciences aims to offer the Church a contribution to philosophical, theological, and pastoral reflection on the truth of the person, marriage, and family. This year, the institution welcomes 466 students from 55 countries.