On 15 March 2024, Fr. Mark Lewis S.J., Rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, received a decree from Fr. Arturo Sosa S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Vice Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Gregorian University. The decree states that the new General Statutes of the University, which permanently incorporate the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, will come into effect on 19 May 2024, which is Pentecost Sunday.
The three institutions share a common bond as they were all entrusted to the Society of Jesus by the Pope. The Gregorian, established in 1551 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, served as the academic hub known as the ‘Roman College’ for centuries. The Pontifical Biblical Institute, founded in 1909, serves as a centre for advanced studies of sacred Scripture. The Pontifical Oriental Institute, established in 1917, is focused on higher studies in the ecclesiastical sciences and the canon law of the Eastern Churches.
The Statutes were created following the Chirograph signed by Pope Francis on December 17, 2019. In this letter the Holy Father ordered that the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute be joined to the Gregorian University, while still retaining their own names and missions. This was done in such a way that they are now part of “the same juridical person, as academic units of the University”. The request aims to improve the ability of the two Pontifical Institutes to carry out their specific missions in the present context.