Gregoriana_ENG_56_01_22_DEF.qxp_01_22 14/07/20 19:01 Pagina 8
A Church that promotes justice A Interview with Fr. Ulrich Rhode, S.J. Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law by PAOLO PEGORARO
Nearing 150 years since its foundation, the Faculty of Canon Law is committed to renewal and in implementing canon law, at the service of the local and universal Church, having the value of reconciliation as its guiding principle
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he Gregoriana Faculty of Canon Law, founded in 1876, counts today six permanent professors, three associate professors, and twenty-seven external lecturers appointed for specific courses. Its students come from 54 countries, with a smaller percentage of European students, while enrolled students from Africa, Latin America and Asia are growing: from a third to as many as half the total number of students in the past ten years. Students eligible for the Licentiate in Canon Law – a minimum requirement for serving as judge in an ecclesiastical Court and other offices – are those who successfully completed five years of philosophicaltheological studies. On a total of 165 students, 97 are enrolled in the three-year Licentiate (second cycle) programme, while 65 are studying for their Doctorate (third cycle). The Faculty is directed by German Jesuit Father Ulrich Rhode. ∫ Fr. Rhode, the Apostolic Constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia will be entitled Praedicate Evangelium. What is the relevance of Canon Law for evangelisation? “When everything goes well in the Church, the significance of Canon Law may escape our notice. We become aware of its importance when it is missing. This is also the case in States: we acknowledge the importance of the law when we see a failed State, or an oppressor State. In many parts of the world Gospel proclamation is thwarted by the Church’s
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