杏MAP导航

By Amedeo Lomonaco

The world of education and schooling should be permeated by the spirit of the Gospel. This is the mission of the Dicastery for Culture and Education which, as stated in the Apostolic Constitution , “works for the development of people’s human values in the context of Christian anthropology, contributing to the full realization of Christian discipleship.”

Its competence, therefore, revolves around two areas, a crucial combination: culture and education. The Dicastery comprises the Section for Culture, dedicated to the promotion of culture, pastoral activity and the enhancement of cultural heritage, and the Section for Education, which develops the fundamental principles of education regarding schools, Catholic and ecclesiastical institutes of higher education and research, and is competent for hierarchical recourses in these matters.

The current Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education is Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça. The Secretaries are Bishop Paul Desmond Tighe and Archbishop Carlo Maria Polvani.

Historical notes

The Dicastery for Culture and Education brings together the former Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture.

The beginnings of the Congregation for Catholic Education are linked to the Middle Ages. With the Apostolic Constitution Immensa, Sixtus V established the Congregatio pro universitate studii romani in 1588 to preside over the studies of the University of Rome and other distinguished universities. Leo XII, with the 1824 Constitution Quod divina sapientia, created the Congregatio studiorum for the schools of the Papal States.

The origin of the Pontifical Council for Culture dates back to the Second Vatican Council, which, among its many emphases, pointed out a relevance that is still relevant today: the fundamental importance of culture for the full development of the human person.

Culture

The Section for Culture promotes and supports relations between the Holy See and the world of culture.

It responds to the many issues therein with a preference for dialogue as an indispensable tool of true encounter, mutual interaction and enrichment, in order that different cultures may become ever more open to the Gospel, as likewise the Christian faith towards them, and that lovers of the arts, literature, the sciences, technology and sport may know and feel recognized by the Church as people at the service of a sincere search for the true, the good and the beautiful.

The Culture Section also supports the protection, conservation and public enjoyment of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of ecclesial realities and the enhancement and protection of local cultures.

It coordinates the activities of the Pontifical Academies, which include some of the leading international figures in the theological and humanistic sciences, chosen from among believers and non-believers.

Education

The Education Section promotes the implementation of the fundamental principles of Catholic education, the Catholic identity of schools and higher education institutions, and the teaching of the Catholic religion in schools of all levels, and safeguards the integrity of the Catholic faith in doctrinal teaching.

Furthermore, it supports and regulates the establishment and collaboration of Catholic and ecclesiastical schools and higher education institutions and their associations, for the deepening, in accordance with Christian truth, of sacred disciplines, humanistic and scientific studies.

The Education Section is also responsible for the academic formation of clerics, members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and lay people preparing for service in the Church.

It is also responsible for the necessary formalities for the recognition by States of academic degrees awarded in the name of the Holy See and for the issuance of the authorisation required by teachers to be able to teach theological disciplines.

An exhibited promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education

Between spaces and projects

In both the cultural and educational fields, the Dicastery follows the action programmes undertaken by the relevant national and supranational institutions, through participation in international bodies and events and the organisation of specialised conferences.

The Dicastery’s mission also involves ensuring the Holy See’s presence at international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale, through pavilions and special spaces.

The Dicastery is also responsible for promoting various projects. The “”, in particular, is 杏MAP导航 Francis’ invitation to an alliance between all those working in the field of education and culture, with the aim of changing the world through education, art, entertainment, sport, etc., with one goal in mind: to educate everyone, especially the younger generations, in universal brotherhood.

Culture and education are therefore the “two eyes” of this Dicastery. They are also two fundamental lenses through which the Church sees the world.

Visit the website of the (Italian only)