Last May 19, Pentecost Day, by a decree of Father Arturo Sosa S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, issued by virtue of the power conferred on him by the Chirograph of the Supreme Pontiff of December 17, 2019, the new General Statutes of the Pontifical Gregorian University came into effect, which definitively incorporated the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute into the Gregorian University. At the same time, the Collegium Maximum was established as an internal articulation of the University, in which the Faculties, Institutes and Centers of the University as we have known it until now are framed.

We have therefore begun the process of effectively implementing the integration, which requires of all of us not only the ability to adapt to this new reality, but above all to create, at all levels, an even more efficient and articulated structure, seizing the new opportunities that arise day after day, and respecting the specific missions of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute. It is, therefore, a matter of making a collective effort, in which we are all involved, creating new synergies and broadening the horizon of our gaze, operating in harmony and not remaining bound to the usual patterns. In a way, it is an implementation of that synodality - traditionally called "collegiality" in academia - that has been and is so much at the heart of our university commitment. It is a journey that we must continue by cultivating and sowing hope, this "irreplaceable companion that gives a glimpse of the goal "1 as Pope Francis defined it in the bull "Spes non confundit," with which he proclaimed the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, which will begin next Dec. 24 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. Our University is also called upon to contribute to the celebration of the Jubilee and for this reason we have decided to reserve a space for the staging of exhibitions and displays in the Gregorian's Quadriportico. Indeed, we wish to present itineraries that allow visitors to linger in front of works of art and images, allowing them to treasure different experiences and cultures.

During the Jubilee we will also celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the first great ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea, and in February 2025, our University will host an International Conference conceived and organized by the Faculty of Theology and the Pontifical Oriental Institute of the Gregorian together with the Faculty of Theology of the University of Münster (Germany) entitled The Confession of the Council of Nicaea: History and Theology - Das Bekenntnis des Konzils von Nizäa: Geschichte und Gegenwart. I emphasize this initiative because even today this Council is an invitation to all Churches and Ecclesial Communities to move forward on the path toward visible unity, and because it is just one among many events organized by our academic units or that we host in the University that express the desire of our faculty to invest themselves in research and to nurture debate and discussion with scholars from around the world. So I wish you all, on behalf of the University, a joyful academic year full of stimulation and initiatives that contribute to your and our growth and pilgrimage of hope.

 

Mark A. Lewis, S.J.
Rector of Pontifical Gregorian University