The John Paul II Vatican Foundation, in collaboration with the Church of St. Stanislaus B&M in Rome and with the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, are honored to announce the first edition of the Saint John Paul II Days at the Pontifical Universities of Rome, under the auspices of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See.
The initiative was agreed upon by a letter of intent signed in Rome, May 2023.
The first, inaugural edition of the event will be held in Rome, November 26-29, 2024, under the theme “Faith and Reason in the Thought of St. John Paul II”. The Days were prepared in cooperation with three Roman universities: Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. As part of the undertaking, the mentioned universities will host, among other things, lectures and scientific debates. Also planned are religious and cultural events at the St. Stanislaus B&M Polish Church. The culmination will be an evening gala, during which the results of the competition for students will be announced.
The competition, which is part of the Days celebration, is dedicated by the organizers to students of all cycles of study at the Pontifical Universities of Rome. Participants were invited to submit their scientific articles related to the theme of the Days. The papers in English or Italian were flowing to the organizers until the last day stipulated by the regulations (November 10, 2024). A committee of professors from Rome’s Pontifical Universities will soon select three winning papers, which will be publicly presented at a final gala.
The competition includes the following cash prizes: 2,000 euros for first place, 1,500 euros for second place and 1,000 euros for third place. The winning articles will also get the opportunity to be published in scientific journals. In addition, all winners will be rewarded with a five-day trip to Poland, scheduled for April 2025.
The events will take place:
- at the Angelicum on November 26th at 2:30 PM,
- at the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce on November 27th at 11:30 AM,
- at the Church of St. Stanislaus B&M on November 27th at 6:00 PM,
- at the Pontificia Università Gregoriana on November 28th at 5:00 PM,
- and the gala evening will be held at the Angelicum on November 29th at 6:00 PM.
The Saint John Paul II Days at the Pontifical Universities of Rome, including the competition, represent a unique opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge of the thought of Saint John Paul II and to contribute to the academic debate on faith and reason.
A detailed schedule of celebrations for each day will be published soon.
