School of Canon Law

Diritto Canonico

The School of Canon Law strives to prepare canonists with a deep theoretical and practical knowledge of Church law, which helps them develop legal skills with pastoral sensibility, while meeting the practical demands of legal praxis among God's people.

English brochure


Teaching follows a systematic method. It attempts to integrate the many juridical institutions emerging from the study of the Church’s Law within the diverse branches of canonical science. All this, in conformity with the Church’s vision of herself as expressed in the Second Vatican Council.

The program’s realist perspective helps the student to appreciate the dimension of justice that belongs to the salvific goods of the Church even prior to their reception in positive law.  This metaphysical realism offers a much richer viewpoint than the old positivistic outlook, which still influences some currents of canonical thought.  Students learn to seek justice while exercising legal prudence in fidelity to sound ecclesiastical tradition.
The program integrates theoretical study with courses on legal praxis.

The School has a large number of permanent professors as well as many prestigious visiting professors from the Roman Curia and from all over the world.

The School’s research and teaching are enriched by the staff’s experience in various dicasteries of the Holy See and in the Tribunals of the Vicariate of Rome. Close links to and regular academic collaboration with colleagues from other universities of Rome and of other countries also enrich the School, along with the theological research and collaboration of the School of Theology.

 

Sezione: 

In evidenza

On March 31 and April 1, 2025 (8:45 AM, Aula Magna "Giovanni Paolo II"), the 29th Study Conference of the School of Canon Law will take place, focusing on the theme Divine Law in Ecclesial Law: The Concept of Law and Canonical Practice.

The conference aims to explore the topic of divine law in the Church. Despite the extensive bibliography on the subject, there remains room for further research with a twofold objective: first, to clarify in what sense divine law is truly law, highlighting the significance of the legal conception through which it is examined; and second, to emphasize the practical importance of different understandings of divine law across all areas of canon law, presenting divine law as an essential and permanent component for addressing ecclesiastical legal matters with justice.

Thursday, March 13, 2025, on the 12th anniversary of Pope Francis' election to the Papal Throne, the Rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Fernando Puig, presided over a Holy Mass at 12:45 PM in the Basilica of Saint Apollinare.

The Apostolikì Diakonia of the Greek Orthodox Church, as part of the cultural initiatives promoted jointly with the Catholic Cultural Committee, offers 22 scholarships to Catholic students, clergy, or seminarians, to participate in a summer program in Athens aimed at learning Modern Greek and gaining knowledge of the culture and spirituality of the Greek Orthodox world.

The program will begin on July 7, 2025, and conclude on August 2, 2025. It includes a beginner-level Modern Greek course, specifically designed for the scholarship students, as well as some visits to provide an introduction to the Orthodox world.

From Monday, January 20, to Sunday, February 16, 2025, students from all Schools can complete the online evaluation questionnaire for the First Semester Courses.

This is a valuable opportunity to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and education.

Go to the questionnaire

 

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