Fides et Ratio
Catholic Universities
The Catholic Church invented the university. Every institution of higher learning in the Western world traces its intellectual lineage to the cathedral schools and studia generalia founded by the Church in the Middle Ages.
The Church Invented the University
Before the Catholic Church, there were no universities. The ancient world had schools of philosophy and rhetoric, but nothing resembling the structured, degree-granting, multi-faculty institution we call a university. The University of Bologna (1088), the University of Paris (c. 1150), and the University of Oxford (c. 1167) were all founded under Church auspices, staffed by clergy, and governed by papal charter. The Church created the university because she believed that faith and reason are not enemies but partners — that the same God who revealed Himself in Scripture also created the rational mind capable of understanding His creation. This conviction, articulated most powerfully by St. Thomas Aquinas, drove the greatest intellectual flowering in Western history.
"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth."
— Pope St. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, 1998
Founded by the Church
Six Great Catholic Universities
University of Bologna
Bologna, Italy
The oldest university in the Western world, Bologna was founded under Church patronage and became the preeminent center for the study of Roman law. Its graduates shaped the legal systems of every European nation.
World's oldest university
University of Paris
Paris, France
The intellectual capital of medieval Europe, Paris was where St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, and Albertus Magnus taught. Its theology faculty was the supreme arbiter of Catholic doctrine for centuries.
Medieval intellectual capital
University of Oxford
Oxford, England
Founded by English scholars returning from Paris, Oxford grew under the patronage of the Church and produced Roger Bacon, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. It remains one of the world's great universities.
English-speaking world's oldest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dame is America's most prominent Catholic university. Its commitment to integrating faith and reason in every discipline makes it a model for Catholic higher education worldwide.
America's premier Catholic university
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C., USA
Founded by the Jesuits as the first Catholic university in the United States, Georgetown has produced presidents, Supreme Court justices, and world leaders. Its motto — Utraque Unum, Both Into One — reflects the Jesuit ideal of uniting faith and learning.
First Catholic university in the USA
Pontifical Gregorian University
Rome, Italy
Founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola himself, the Gregorian has educated more popes, cardinals, and bishops than any other institution in history. It remains the premier pontifical university in Rome.
Founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola
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