Ex Corde Ecclesiae
The Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae ( Latin : From the heart of the Church ) was published on August 15, 1990 by Pope John Paul II . With this constitution, orders are issued “About the Catholic Universities ”; it came into force on January 1, 1991, at the beginning of the academic year. The Pope appointed the Congregation for Catholic Education as the implementing body , whose task should be to issue necessary norms and to propose necessary changes that would arise in the course of time and to incorporate them into this constitution.
Character and task
In the first part, which is divided into sections A. and B., the Pope describes the character of a Catholic university, in its entirety he describes the nature and goals of a Catholic university, stating that every Catholic university is an academic community is
“Which, in a strict and critical way, makes its contribution to the protection and promotion of human dignity and, at the same time, the cultural heritage through research and teaching and through the various services it provides to the local, national and international communities for their benefit. It has the institutional autonomy necessary for it to perform its tasks effectively and it guarantees its members academic freedom, while respecting the rights of the individual and the community, within the claims of truth and the common good. "
John Paul II explains the importance of a university community and explains that every Catholic university has an indispensable connection. (ECE No. 21.) to the Catholic Church . Furthermore, it defines the basic service mandate of the Catholic universities, which he understands to be the constant search for truth through research, preservation and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society. (ECE No. 30.) The Catholic universities perform, he explains, a service to the church and society, because they train men and women who could also take on tasks in the church . (ECE No. 31.)
For John Paul II, the connecting elements between church and society include university pastoral care (ECE No. 38) and cultural dialogue (ECE No. 43), as he writes:
"Aware that human culture is open to revelation and transcendence, the Catholic University is the primary and specific place for a fruitful dialogue between gospel and culture"
General norms
In the second part, he lays down “general norms” for the preceding explanations and characterizations, the basis of which is based on the Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) and which would be binding for all Catholic universities and Catholic higher education institutions throughout the world. The Pope expressly orders that
“In order to better cope with the problems of today's society and to strengthen the Catholic character of the institutions, it is necessary to encourage regional, national and international cooperation between all Catholic universities, including the church universities and faculties, in research and teaching and in the other activities of the university promote. This cooperation is to be promoted equally between the Catholic universities and the other universities and research and teaching institutions, both public and private. "
Web links
Text of the Apostolic Constitution
