Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (, ) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

under the Curial

Congregation for Catholic Education The Congregation for Catholic Education (Institutes of Study) () was the pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: universities, faculties, institutes and higher schools of study, either ecclesial or non-ecclesiastical depende ...

, now entrusted to the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, or more commonly called Opus Dei. It was started in 1984 by

Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...

, with the aim of offering the universal church an effective instrument for formation and research. Located in the city center of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the Pontifical University of Santa Croce has two campuses. One is in Piazza di Sant'Apollinare, northern area of

Piazza Navona Piazza Navona () is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval. The ancient Romans went there to watch the '' a ...

. The other is the library in Via dei Farnesi near the famous

Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French e ...

. Its stated mission is "to serve the whole Church by means of a broad and thorough work of research and formation in the ecclesiastical sciences, cooperating according to its special function with the evangelizing mission of the Church in the whole world."

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

granted the title of '

' to the Pontifical Atheneum of the Holy Cross in July 1998, making it the sixth

pontifical university A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and canon law (Catholic Church), Canon Law) and at least o ...

in the city of

. The university is open to lay people, both men and women, priests,

seminarians A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...

, and religious

brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

and

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

. The present Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University is the Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz.

Background

According to Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, secretary of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, "For the University of the Holy Cross the adjective 'Pontifical' has never been a merely decorative title, but a qualification which commits it profoundly, inviting it to active fidelity to the Roman Pontiff," and, in union with him, "to the Church as a whole." :" St. Josemaría Escrivá", he said, "was able to emphasize the need to unite this moral rectitude and love of truth with respect for the autonomy of the disciplines and, therefore, of the legitimate freedom of teachers and researchers, showing a unitary conception of the world and of man, capable of putting learning always at the service of the person."

Faculty

Most of the over 250 faculty hold degrees from both secular and ecclesiastical universities. It offers an ongoing formation both to its academic staff to students, providing them with information on current issues. The ratio of academic staff to students is 1:9. The members of the faculty know and use at least five major modern languages (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, English, Spanish, French, and German), which enables them to fulfill their academic task of teaching international students coming from all five continents, different cultures and language groups.

Courses

The Pontifical University of Santa Croce offers courses in ecclesiastical sciences. It now has four Schools:

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, and Social Institutional Communication. The university also has a Higher Institute of Religious Sciences which has correspondence learning. The university sponsors the Center of Research into the Relationship Between Family and Mass Media, as well as supporting several research projects, including Market, Culture and Ethics; Etica e Politika; Poetics and Christianity; and Science, Theology, and the Ontological Quest. Santa Croce lectures also include courses on '' Christian Art and Architecture in

. From Antiquity to the Present'' (in English), open to students of US universities with campus in Rome. These courses intersperse classroom sessions with site visits. Students are encouraged to combine both the visual and contextual analysis of artworks.

Research and publications

During the academic year 2005–06, 40 books by faculty members and 78 doctoral theses were published. The scientific journals of the Pontifical University of Santa Croce are: *''Church, Communication and Culture'' by the Faculty of

Communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

*''Annales Theologici'' by the Faculty of

*''Ius Ecclesiae'' by the Faculty of

*''

Acta Philosophica ''Acta Philosophica'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1992. The editor-in-chief is Rafael A. Martínez (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross). The journal publishes articles in Italian, English, Spanish, and ...

'' by the Faculty of

Governance and leadership

The Prelate of Opus Dei serves as the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, who appoints a rector after having heard the opinion of the university's governing bodies and the Academic Senate, and received confirmation from the Holy See's

Dicastery for Culture and Education The Dicastery for Culture and Education is an administrative unit of the Roman Curia. It began operations on 5 June 2022 as established by the apostolic constitution ''Praedicate evangelium'' promulgated on 19 March 2022. It was formed through th ...

. Grand Chancellors: *

Álvaro del Portillo Álvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano (11 March 1914 – 23 March 1994) was a Spanish Catholic bishop and engineer who served as the prelate of Opus Dei between 1982 and 1994. Church leaders Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Carlo Caffarra ha ...

(1984–1994) *

Javier Echevarría Rodríguez Javier Echevarría Rodríguez (14 June 1932 – 12 December 2016) was a Spanish Catholic bishop who served as the head of Opus Dei from 1994 until his death. He held doctorates in both civil and canon law. Within the Roman Curia, the governing ...

(1994–2016) *

Fernando Ocáriz Braña Fernando Ocáriz Braña (born 27 October 1944) is a priest of the Catholic Church who has been the prelate of Opus Dei since 2017. Ocáriz is the fourth person to head Opus Dei since its founding in 1928. He is widely published in philosophy an ...

(2017–present) Rectors: * Ignacio Carrasco de Paula (1984–1994) * Luis Clavell (1994–2002) * Mariano Fazio (2002–2008) * Luis Romera Oñate (2008–2016) * Luis Navarro (2016–2024) * Fernando Puig (2024–present)

Enrollment and other data

For the school year 2013–14, the university has more than 1,050 students, about half from Europe and one-third from the Americas, with the others coming from Africa and Asia (both about one-tenth) and Oceania (less than one percent). 25% of the students are laypeople, 32% seminarians, 32% priests, and 11% religious. The majority (599) are studying theology. 192 are studying canon law, 128 philosophy, and 106 communications, with 25 auditing courses. Since its beginning in 1984, more than 7,000 students from 102 countries have passed through the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in its 25-year history.Rome Reports
University of the Holy Cross celebrates 25th anniversary
accessed 26 February 2014. The university is supported financially by contributions from benefactors from all over the world. The university is located in the Palazzo di Sant'Apollinare on Piazza di Sant'Apollinare 49,

. Its library is at Via dei Farnesi 82, near the famous

. The University of the Holy Cross Foundation is located in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, U.S.

Seal

The university seal was described in an address of

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

to the administrators, faculty, staff, and students of the university on May 29, 1999:

References

External links

Pontifical University of Santa Croce
— official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Cross, Pontifical University of the Universities and colleges established in 1984 1984 establishments in Italy Education in Rome Opus Dei universities and colleges Holy Cross Catholic universities and colleges in Italy Seminaries and theological colleges in Italy Universities in Italy Rome R. VI Parione Pontifical University of the Holy Cross