Outstanding Scholars form JP2 Lecture series, launched by the St. John Paul II Institute of Culture
Monthly lectures, “JP2 Lectures,” from scholars around the world will be offered by the new St. John Paul II Institute of Culture at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – the Angelicum in Rome, the Roman alma Mater of fr. Karol Wojtyła.
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The first in a series of JP2 Lectures will inaugurate the Angelicum’s academic year on 19 October. His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, will speak on the topic: “Does Christianity Need Culture?” at 10.30 – following the university’s Mass of the Holy Spirit. The Lecture series will focus on the most important problems of the contemporary Church and world, taking the life and thought of John Paul II as the point of reference.
The world-renowned lineup of speakers include:
- Prof. John Finnis (University of Oxford / University of Notre Dame) – John Paul II and the Fundamentals of Ethics (19.11.2020)
- Archbishop Rowan Williams (University of Cambridge) – Faith on the Modern Areopagus (16.12.2020)
- Prof. Marek A. Cichocki (College of Europe / Natolin European Center) – European Identity, North and South: the Main Line of Divide (21.01.2021)
- Prof. John Cavadini (University of Notre Dame) – The Church in Crisis (26.02.2021)
- Prof. François Daguet OP (Institut Saint-Thomas d’Aquin / Institut Catholique de Toulouse) – Political Theology from St. Thomas Aquinas to John Paul II and Benedict XVI (24.03.2021)
- Prof. Chantal Delsol (Académie Française / University of Marne-le-Vallée) – The End of Christendom (15.04.2021)
- Prof. Rémi Brague (Université de Paris) – Meaning of Art in Christianity in Modern World (18.05.2021)
- Prof. Renato Cristin (University of Trieste) – Formal Europe and Vital Europe: Tradition as the Ground of Identity (20.05.2021)
- Prof. Dariusz Gawin (Polish Academy of Sciences) – Phenomenon of Solidarity (10.06.2021)
*All lectures within this JP2 Lecture Series will be available online in English.
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The St. John Paul II Institute of Culture is a new institute and academic chair within the Faculty of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – the Angelicum. The launch of the Institute on 18 May 2020 coincided with the historic centenary of the birth of the Angelicum’s most distinguished alumnus, Pope St. John Paul II. The primary focus of the Institute is to examine the teachings of Karol Wojtyła as a starting and continuous reference point in reflecting on current problems facing the Church in the modern world. The relevance of John Paul II’s thought is not limited to the period of his pontificate; it has much to say in considering contemporary problems that arise in the areas of faith, philosophy, culture, science, politics and a wide array of social issues. Therefore, it is not enough to examine the achievements of this great pontiff. We must also think with him about the most pressing issues of our day, including culture, solidarity, mercy, Christian art, justice, democracy, contemporary ideologies and movements, the place of the Church in the modern world, and the spiritual crisis facing Europe.
Among the lecturers and collaborators of the Institute are intellectuals representing various scientific disciplines. The founders and co-organizers of the St. John Paul II Institute of Culture, funded entirely by private donors, are two Polish non-governmental organizations: the St. Nicholas Foundation and the Futura-Iuventa Foundation.
In short:
The series of monthly “JP2 Lectures”, which are open to the public, begin with a lecture by the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, at 10.30 on 19 October in the Angelicum’s Aula Magna (Aula Giovanni Paolo II). LINK to FB Eventbrite: https://fb.me/e/1yf93m60c
Within the framework of the JP2 Lectures project, additional lectures will be offered by: Prof. John Finnis, Prof. Chantal Delsol, Prof. Marek A. Cichocki, Prof. John Cavadini, Prof. Renato Cristin, Prof. Dariusz Gawin, Prof. François Daguet OP, and Archbishop Rowan Williams.
On 23 October, the Angelicum’s St. John Paul II Institute of Culture, together with scholars from Oxford University, will also begin a series of Internet conferences entitled: “Re-thinking Solidarity” on the concept of solidarity and its significance for the modern world.
Both the JP2 Lectures and the “Re-thinking Solidarity” Internet conferences will be available online. The JP2 Lectures will also be available in Polish.