Summary
In an audience with Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, Pope Leo XIV approved new statutes for the Pontifical International Marian Academy. The Holy See Press Office announced on February 7 that these rules aim to update the academy’s guidelines to better align with its evolving mission and current Curial structures. Established in 1946 by the Order of Friars Minor and the Commissio Mariana Franciscana, the Pontifical International Marian Academy has provided research and coordination for Marian studies since 1950, under the leadership of Fr. Carlo Balić, who was then rector of the Pontifical Antonianum University. The academy was originally founded to organize studies and devotion within the Order of Friars Minor. Pope Saint John XXIII recognized its contribution in 1959 with a Motu Proprio titled “Maiora in dies,” designating it as a “Pontifical” institution responsible for organizing International Mariological-Marian Congresses, coordinating meetings of mariology scholars worldwide, and supporting studies on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since its creation, the Academy has been placed under the authority of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office (now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith), which later transferred this responsibility to the Dicastery for Culture and Education in 1972. On May 18, 1972, the Pontifical International Marian Academy was formally integrated into the Pontifical Antonianum as a specialized body in the field of mariology. In December 2012, the Pontifical International Marian Academy welcomed the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate into its organization.
Key Topics
Vatican City, Pope Leo XIV, Academy
