Pope Leo XIV addresses canon law students

Pope Leo XIV met with participants of an international congress on Friday, October 23, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. During a special audience in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope addressed professors, students, and Jesuits regarding the purpose of studying Church law.

The Pope noted that the faculty was established on August 16, 1876, by the mandate of Blessed Pius IX through the Congregation for Studies. He described the faculty's history as a continuation of the academic traditions of the Roman College and the Society of Jesus.

Pope Leo XIV stated that canon law should not be treated merely as a collection of rules to be memorized and applied. Instead, he described it as an essential tool for maintaining ecclesial communion and a means to serve the good of persons. He emphasized that the study of law must integrate justice with truth and mercy.

The Pope encouraged students to move beyond the accumulation of knowledge toward a deeper understanding of reality. He suggested that legal training should foster an ecclesial sense of justice by studying legal sources, traditions, and theological principles.