Overview
- The Vatican published Pope Leo XIV’s letter on Jan. 17 to mark the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy’s 325th anniversary.
- The Pope reiterates reforms by Pope Francis that place the Academy within the Secretariat of State and qualify it as an advanced center for diplomatic formation and research.
- The letter endorses a curriculum integrating legal, historical, political, economic and linguistic studies with human and priestly formation.
- Pope Leo says diplomatic service is not a profession but a Gospel-born vocation, calling papal envoys to be “bridges” who listen to God and to those often unheard.
- A same-day Vatican conference opens with the Pope’s message and a lectio by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, with sessions reviewing the Academy’s history and ongoing reform.