On Wednesday, October 9th, 2024, as a welcoming gesture and following tradition, the Welcome Day for New Students took place.
The program included, at 12:45 PM in the Giovanni Paolo II Auditorium, a greeting from the Rector, Fernando Puig; at 1:00 PM, a buffet in the Courtyard of the Palazzo dell'Apollinare; and at 2:00 PM, a return to the Auditorium for an Information Session, where more detailed information about the University and the services available to students was provided.
Poster
On Monday, October 7, 2024, in the presence of the Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Bishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, and the Prelate of Opus Dei and Grand Chancellor of the University, Mons. Fernando Ocáriz, the inauguration ceremony of the 2024/2025 academic year took place, marking the 40th year of activity for the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
The ceremony began with the celebration of the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare, the University's chapel, presided over by Bishop Pagazzi.
Following this, the solemn Academic Act took place in the Aula Magna, with the inaugural lecture given by the Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on the
Among the 21 new Cardinals announced by Pope Francis at the end of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, October 6, 2024, is alumnus George Koovakad, currently an official in the Secretariat of State and responsible for Papal Travels.
Born in Chethipuzha (India) on August 11, 1973, he was ordained a priest in 2004 and incardinated in Changanacherry. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See and worked in the nunciatures in Algeria, Korea, Iran, and Costa Rica.
At our School of Canon Law, he obtained his Doctorate in June 2006, with a thesis on The Obligation of Poverty for Secular Clerics in the Codes of Canon Law (advisor: Rev. Prof. Luis Navarro). He had previously earned a Baccalaureate (2002) and a Licentiate (2004
On Monday, October 7, 2024, in the presence of the Prelate of Opus Dei and the Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the inauguration of the 2024/2025 academic year of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross took place, which this year celebrates its 40th year of activity.
The inauguration ceremony for the academic year included the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit at 9:30 AM in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare, presided over by His Excellency Mons. Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
At 11 AM, the solemn Academic Act took place in the Aula Magna in the presence of
From September 28 to 30, the seminar O Vaticano por dentro e in loco took place, an initiative now in its third edition, aimed at Portuguese-speaking journalists and communicators who cover religious news, with the purpose of offering them the best possible understanding of certain unique aspects of Church life. Organized and promoted by the Iscom Association and the School of Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, the course saw the participation of over 50 Portuguese-speaking media professionals.
Various events - including sessions and visits - involved academics, members of the Curia, experts from the ecclesiastical world, and Vatican specialists. (
On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, the academic community participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new Rector, Rev. Prof. Fernando Puig.
The event was presided over by the Vice Grand Chancellor of the University, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, who also welcomed the professors who will assume new positions: Rev. Prof. Giulio Maspero (Dean of Theology), Rev. Prof. Thierry Sol (Dean of Canon Law), Rev. Prof. Giovanni Zaccaria (Vice-Rector), and Prof. Carla Rossi Espagnet (Director of ISSR at Apollinare).
The outgoing Rector, Don Luis Navarro, thanked the academic community for the support received during his eight-year term, also
The Research Group ‘University and Catholic Identity’ of the University of the Holy Cross organised an Expert Meeting on 26 and 27 September on the mission, purpose, and future of Catholic academic institutions. Experts in communication, governance and theologians from Europe, America, Latin America and Asia from 19 different universities and the FIUC (International Federation of Catholic Universities) discussed the two-day event.
The Research Group ‘University and Catholic Identity’
From Monday, September 2, 2024, until Friday, September 27, the Italian Course for newly enrolled students will take place. There are about 90 participants from many European countries, the United States, Latin America, and Asia.
The Department of Languages of our University, in collaboration with the Dante Alighieri Society, is once again offering new students the opportunity to learn Italian before the academic year begins.
In September 2024, the Department of Educational Resources of our University organized several training activities for the teaching staff.
The aim was to provide effective tools to promote innovative teaching, keeping pace with the times and functioning effectively, also through the use of applications available in the virtual classroom Discere.
