A Catholic university in Canada is launching what is believed to be the world’s first academic institute dedicated entirely to the legacy of the late Pope Francis, seeking to preserve and expand the pastoral vision that shaped his pontificate.
According to Vatican News, St. Jerome’s University announced the creation of the new Pope Francis Institute, which will officially open later this year in Ontario, Canada.
The Institute will focus on promoting the teachings, spirituality, and pastoral priorities of Pope Francis through courses, conferences, spiritual retreats, lectures, and leadership formation programs rooted in his magisterium.
Dr. Peter Meehan, President of St. Jerome’s University, told Vatican News that Pope Francis possessed “deep pastoral instincts” and “really understood the world, and he really understood the message of the Second Vatican Council.”
Meehan praised Francis for his concern for migrants, the environment, and outreach to “people of all orientations and backgrounds,” saying those priorities reflected the Council’s call for greater engagement between the Church and the modern world.
“Francis’ message,” Meehan said, “was ‘the right one for our times’” and the Institute’s mission will be centered on “keeping that legacy alive,” according to Vatican News.
The Institute plans to offer a Certificate in Catholic Leadership and eventually hire full-time research fellows dedicated to studying and advancing themes central to Francis’ papacy. Organizers also emphasized that the mission of the Institute will extend beyond academia and even beyond the Catholic Church itself.
“A Catholic university is like a Catholic hospital,” Meehan said. “We have an obligation to serve the world outside of our university.”
Meehan added that while the Institute hopes to strengthen the Church internally, its broader success will be measured by its ability to attract non-Catholics as well.
The project also appears to be gaining renewed relevance under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Meehan noted that two major themes emerging from Pope Leo XIV’s early pontificate — synodality and continued implementation of the Second Vatican Council — were also foundational priorities of Pope Francis.
According to Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV has already devoted a lengthy catechetical series to the Council’s major documents, signaling continuity between the two pontificates.
For many Catholics, the new Institute may become a lasting effort to preserve Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy, dialogue, missionary outreach, and engagement with the modern world — priorities that shaped the Church throughout his papacy and continue influencing its future today.
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