View source for Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

{{Short description|Roman College of the Catholic Church}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
[[Image:Palazzo dell accademia ecclesiastica Roma.jpg|thumb|200 px|right|The entrance of the Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica. The coat of arms on the left is that of Cardinal Sodano, Cardinal Protector of the PEA.]]

The '''Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy''' ({{langx|la|Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia}}, {{langx|it|Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica}}) is one of the [[Roman Colleges]] of the [[Catholic Church]]. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the [[Secretariat of State (Holy See)|Secretariat of State]] of the Holy See.

Despite its name, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is not one of the ten [[Pontifical Academy|Pontifical Academies]] of the Holy See.

The patron of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is Saint [[Anthony the Great]].

==History==
The diplomatic service of the Holy See can be traced back to 325 AD when [[Pope Sylvester I]] sent legates to represent him at the [[First Council of Nicaea]]. The academy was created as the '''Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles''' in 1701 by [[Abbot]] Pietro Garagni, in close collaboration with Blessed [[Sebastian Valfrè]] of the [[Turin]] [[Oratory of St. Philip Neri|Oratory]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/storia_it.htm | title=Cenni Storici | publisher=[[Holy See]] | access-date=8 April 2015 |language=it}}</ref> The current name was given by [[Pope Pius XI]] (c. 1930).

==Function==
Located inside Palazzo Severoli on the [[Piazza della Minerva]] in central Rome, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy trains Catholic priests sent by their bishop from different parts of the world to study ecclesiastical and international diplomacy, particularly in order that the alumni may later be selected to serve in the Diplomatic posts of the [[Holy See]]—ultimately as a papal [[nuncio]], or ambassador. Many leaders of the church have been alumni of the academy, including Popes [[Pope Clement XIII|Clement XIII]], [[Pope Leo XII|Leo XII]], [[Pope Leo XIII|Leo XIII]], [[Pope Benedict XV|Benedict XV]], and [[Pope Paul VI|Paul VI]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/pontefici-ex.htm | title=Pontefici ex-alunni (''Italian'') | publisher=[[Holy See]] | access-date=2008-01-24 }}</ref>

Students spend four years at the academy; three years earning a ''licentiate'' in [[canon law]] (J.C.L.) from a Roman University, then two years earning a doctorate in [[canon law]] (J.C.D.) (normally at the [[Pontifical Lateran University]]). If the students that have been recruited already have a J.C.D. then their time at the PEA is shortened to two years. The courses are usually in diplomatic history, languages and diplomatic writing and are considered not to be academic, but rather focus on the practical skills needed to serve as a diplomat. By the end of his studies, each student has to possess a working knowledge of at least two languages in addition to his mother tongue.<ref>[http://thomasaquinas.edu/news/interview-archbishop-migliore "An Interview with Archbishop Migliore", St. Thomas College, Sant Paula, California]</ref>

Revised requirements for those who enter the Academy beginning in 2020/2021 include a year of pastoral work in a missionary context.<ref>{{cite news | work = Crux | access-date = 17 February 2020 | date= 17 February 2020 | url = https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/02/pope-adds-year-of-missionary-service-to-vatican-diplomats-training/ | title = Pope adds year of missionary service to Vatican diplomats' training | first = Cindy | last = Wooden | agency= Catholic News Service}}</ref>

The President of the academy is Archbishop [[Joseph Marino]], who was previously Apostolic Nuncio to Malaysia, East Timor, as well as Apostolic Delegate To Brunei. He succeeded Archbishop [[Giampiero Gloder]] on 21 October 2019 when Archbishop Golder was named by [[Pope Francis]] as Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba.<ref name="school">{{cite news | work= [[America (magazine)|America]] | access-date = October 11, 2019 | date = October 11, 2019 | url = https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/10/11/pope-francis-appoints-us-archbishop-head-vaticans-school-diplomats | title = Pope Francis appoints U.S. archbishop to head Vatican's school for diplomats | first = Gerard | last = O'Connell }}</ref>

[[Georg Gänswein]] became only the sixth active apostolic nuncio who did not attend the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the training institute for most members of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See.<ref name=avvenire24062024>{{cite news | access-date = 25 June 2024 | date = 24 June 2024 | language = it | newspaper = Avvenire | url = https://www.avvenire.it/chiesa/pagine/georg-g-nswein-sara-nunzio-nei-paesi-baltici | title = La nomina. Georg Gänswein sarà nunzio nei Paesi baltici | first = Gianni | last = Cardinale}}</ref>{{efn|The other five are Archbishops [[Charles John Brown|Charles J. Brown]], [[Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso]], [[Savio Hon Tai-Fai]], [[Noël Treanor]], and [[Alfred Xuereb]].<ref name=avvenire24062024/>}} [[Claudio Gugerotti]] is not active but served as nuncio before becoming prefect of the [[Dicastery for Oriental Churches]]. 

[[Michael Fitzgerald (cardinal)|Michael Fitzgerald]] and [[Michael A. Blume]] have retired but were not PEA graduates.

== Presidents==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* Matteo Gennaro Sibilia (1701–1704)<ref name=presidenti>[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/presid.htm "Presidenti", Holy See]</ref>
* Francesco Giordanini (1704–1720)<ref name=presidenti/>
* Pellegrino De Negri (1721–1728)<ref name=presidenti/>
* Tommaso Giannini (1729–1739)
* Girolamo Formaliani (1739–1742)
* [[Angelo Granelli]] (1742–1744)
* [[Pier Matteo Onorati]] (1744–1762)
* [[Innocenzo Gorgoni]] (1763–1764)
* [[Paolo Antonio Paoli]] (1775–1798)
* [[Vincenzo Brenciaglia]] (1802–1814)
* [[Giovanni Giacomo Sinibaldi]] (1814–1843)
* [[Giovanni Battista Rosani]] (1843–1847)
* [[Giuseppe Cardoni]] (1850–1873)
* [[Venanzio Mobili]] (1873–1875)
* [[Odoardo Agnelli]] (1875–1878)
* [[Placido Maria Schiaffino]] (1878–1884)
* [[Domenico Ferrata]] (1884–1885)
* [[Luigi Sepiacci]] (1885–1886)
* [[Francesco Satolli]] (1888–1891)
* [[Augusto Guidi]] (1892–1894)
* [[Filippo Castracane degli Antelminelli]] (1895–1898)
* [[Rafael Merry del Val y Zulueta]] (1900–1903)
* [[Francesco Sogaro]] (1903–1912)
* [[Giovanni Maria Zonghi]] (1914–1941)
* [[Paolo Savino]] (1941–1959)
* [[Giacomo Testa]] (1959–1962)
* [[Gino Paro]] (1962–1969)
* [[Salvatore Pappalardo (cardinal)|Salvatore Pappalardo]] (1969–1970)<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-61-1969-ocr.pdf | date= 1969 | volume = LXI | page= 353 }}</ref>
* [[Felice Pirozzi]] (1970–1975)
* [[Domenico Enrici]] (acting president; 1974–1975)
* [[Cesare Zacchi]] (1975–1985)
* [[Justin Francis Rigali]] (1985–1989)
* [[Karl-Josef Rauber]] (1990–1993)
* [[Gabriel Montalvo Higuera]] (1993–1998)
* [[Georg Zur]] (1998–2000)<ref>{{cite book |access-date = 25 November 2019 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-91-1999-ocr.pdf | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | page= 127 | date= 1999 | volume = XCI }}</ref>
* [[Justo Mullor García]] (2000–2007)<ref>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | url= http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2000/02/11/0085/00348.html | language =it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 11.02.2000 | date = 11 February 2000}}</ref>
* [[Beniamino Stella]] (2007–2013)
* [[Giampiero Gloder]] (2013–2019)<ref name=marino>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 11 October 2019 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/10/11/0790/01620.html| title = Rinunce e Nomine, 11.10.2019 | language =it}}</ref>
* [[Joseph Marino]] (2019<ref name=marino/>–2023)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/01/23/230123c.html |title=Resignations and Appointments, 23.01.2023 |accessdate=January 23, 2023}}</ref>
* [[Salvatore Pennacchio]] (2023<ref>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | date = 25 January 2023 | access-date = 26 January 2023 | title = Resignations and Appointments, 25.01.2023 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/01/25/230125f.html }}</ref>–present)}}

==See also==
* [[Global organisation of the Catholic Church]]
* [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/index.htm Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]
*[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/presid.htm Presidents]

==Notes==
{{Noteslist}}


{{Pontifical universities in Rome|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy| ]]
[[Category:Catholic universities and colleges in Italy]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of the Holy See]]
[[Category:Diplomacy]]
[[Category:1701 establishments in the Papal States]]
[[Category:1701 establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:Rome R. IX Pigna]]