AVEPRO President: The Institute of Biblical Studies of the Catholic University is recognized worldwide

– "The situation of ecclesiastical faculties and universities around the world is, on the whole, entirely satisfactory," stressed Armand Puig i Tárrech, President of the Holy See's Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties AVEPRO, during a visit to the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin.

The visit of the head of AVEPRO focused on the functioning of the Institute of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of Lublin and the assessment of the situation of Catholic universities in Poland and around the world. "These institutions are strongly committed to the principles of Catholic education and the principles of the Christian faith, and they perform a vital task, namely to introduce people to the strong foundation of the Christian message, the Gospel of Jesus," Fr Dr. Armand Puig i Tárrech emphasized. "I see the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) as a prestigious university with more than a hundred years of tradition. If it were not a significant university, there would not be nearly 9,000 students and 2,000 employees. Young people from Poland and abroad study at KUL, not by accident, but because they have made a conscious choice. They know what they came to a Catholic university for and why," added the President of the Holy See Agency.

He also recalled that the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin received an international certificate of quality and excellence from AVEPRO, the Agency of the Holy See, for the faculties of theology, philosophy, and canon law. It is an attestation of the highest academic standards pursued in the course. AVEPRO is on the ministerial list of internationally recognized accreditation and certification organizations.

– "Over the last few months, we have been working to raise the profile of the Institute of Biblical Studies so that it has all the powers of an Ecclesiastical Institute and can confer degrees in Biblical Studies in the sense of the Apostolic Constitution. We have a great heritage, a rich output, and recognition in Europe and the world. We have an excellent chance to function in ecclesiastical structures," emphasized Fr. Prof. Mirosław Kalinowski, Rector of the Catholic University of Lublin.
The Institute of Biblical Sciences is the only academic unit in Poland with such extensive teaching and research activities. The Institute's fifteen members carry out scientific research in the spirit of the best traditions of Catholic biblical exegesis, both at home and abroad. The director of the INB is Fr. Prof. Mirosław S. Wróbel, who was the first Pole to obtain a doctorate in biblical sciences from the renowned École Biblique et Archéologique Française. The teaching activities of the Institute cover all faculties of the University where introductory lectures on the study of Scripture are given.

Armand Puig i Tàrrech was the Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Catalonia and the Rector of Ateneu Universitari Sant Pacià in Barcelona. Recently, Pope Francis appointed him as the President of the Holy See Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO) in June of this year.

AVEPRO is a Holy See-affiliated institution tasked with promoting and developing a culture of quality in academic institutions directly dependent on the Holy See and ensuring that they meet international quality criteria. The agency works with educational institutions to define procedures for the internal evaluation of the quality of teaching, research, and services.