Pontifical John Paul II Institute

About

The Pontifical John Paul II Institute is devoted to the study of the truth about the human person in all of its dimensions.

Story

A longtime philosopher-friend of Karol Wojtyla once said that Wojtyla had always been occupied with understanding the human person in terms of love. The mission of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute, in a profound sense, begins here, in this abiding conviction of the late Holy Father that love reveals the meaning of the person and, through the person, of all "flesh," the whole of creation (cf. Familiaris consortio, 11; Redemptor hominis, 10; Dominum et vivificantem, 50). This conviction finds its paradigmatic expression in the great text of the Second Vatican Council:

"In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear... Christ...in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself...." (Gaudium et spes, 22).

The Pontifical John Paul II Institute is devoted to the study of this truth about the human person in all of its dimensions: theological, philosophical, anthropological, and indeed cosmological-scientific. The Institute centers its study of the person in the community that is the original cell of human society: marriage and family (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2207; Letter to Families, 13).

Mission

The mission of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is:

1. To provide a comprehensive understanding of marriage and family faithful to the Catholic magisterial tradition in light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, by means of a multidisciplinary education centered in theology and integrated in light of John Paul II's notion of man and woman as an embodied, sexually differentiated communion of persons created in the image of God and destined for a state of life;

2. To develop a critical understanding of issues on marriage and family, biotechnology and ethics in light of Western/modern assumptions regarding the human person, as these bear on the nature and dignity of human life and the transcendental meaning of beauty, truth, and goodness, in a way that fosters a unity of theory and practice at the service of the Church's "new evangelization";

3. To offer accredited pontifical degree programs, as well as civilly accredited graduate degree programs (master's, license, and doctoral-level education);

4. To prepare graduates (laypersons, priests, and religious) for teaching and research in academic, seminary, and diocesan contexts; for work in legal, medical, and other professional occupations; and for evangelization of the family as the foundation for the development of a "culture of life" leading to the creation of a "civilization of love"; and

5. To undertake significant research and publication relative to the contemporary discussion regarding person, marriage, and family.