St. John Paul II Institute of Culture - a scientific and didactic institute of the Faculty of Philosophy of Pontifical University of St. Tomas Aquinas in Rome (also known as Angelicum). Its goal is to stimulate the intellectual life and to analyse challenges facing the modern world and the Church in light of the life and thought of Pope John Paul II. [1] [2] [3]
It was established in 2020, on the 100th anniversary of birth of Karol Wojtyla, by two Polish NGO's – the Saint Nicholas Foundation (polish: Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja) and the Futura-Iuventa Foundation. It is founded by private donors. [4] [2]
The director of the Institute is Fr. Cezary Binkiewicz OP. It's program director is Dariusz Karłowicz. Executive director is Joanna Paciorek. [5]
The Institute conducts postgraduate, interdisciplinary theological and philosophical studies and implements scientific, cultural and publishing projects. Since the very beginning, it has been cooperating with specialists from various research and academic centres such as sister Helen Alford OP, Rémi Brague, Fr. Jarosław Krupczak OP and George Weigel. [6]
JP2 Studies is a program of postgraduate, interdisciplinary theological and philosophical studies devoted to the figure and legacy of John Paul II. It is geared towards clergy, religious and laity alike. [6] [7] [8] The program started in 2021 and the studies are conducted in English.
The study program includes classes in the form of intensive courses divided into three blocks:
Thinking on St. John Paul II – foundation courses:
Thinking on St. John Paul II – additional courses and workshops:
Additional courses conducted by visiting professors. [6]
Every year the Institute invites specialists in philosophy, theology, history, social sciences and others to conduct intensive courses within the JP2 Studies program. Since 2021 the Institute has invited: Rémi Brague (Sorbonne University), Marek Cichocki (Collegium Civitas), Dariusz Gawin (Polish Academy of Sciences), Michał Gierycz (Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University), Francis R. Hittinger (University of Tulsa), Jarosław Kilian (Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art), Jarosław Kupczak OP (Pontifical University of John Paul II), Jean-Luc Marion (Académie Française), Michael Nazir-Ali (Oxford University), George Weigel (Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington), Archbishop Rowan Williams (University of Cambridge). [9]
JP2 Lectures is a series of open interdisciplinary lectures guided by the slogan "Thinking on John Paul II". The invited guests, who are specialists in various fields (such as philosophy, theology, history, politics and arts), refer to the intellectual heritage of John Paul II while talking about the challenges facing the contemporary Church and society. The lectures are held in auditorium 11 in Angelicum, the place where Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, defended his doctoral thesis in 1948. The series is broadcast live on the Angelicum YouTube channel and the university's Facebook profile. The texts of the lectures are published in the book series Thinking with John Paul II. John Paul II Lectures (in Polish and in English).
As of 2025 [update] , the invited guests have been: [10] [11]
| person | affiliation | title of the lecture |
|---|---|---|
| Card. Gianfranco Ravasi | President of the Pontifical Council for Culture (2007–2022) | Does Christianity need Culture? [12] |
| John Finnis | Oxford University | John Paul II and the Fundamentals of Ethics [13] |
| Rowan Williams | Magdalene College Cambridge | The Modern Areopagus [14] |
| Marek Cichocki | Collegium Civitas | Europe's Identity: North and South – the Dividing Line [15] |
| John Cavadini | Notre Dame University | Trajectory of The Second Vatican Council with Theology of John Paul II [16] |
| Fr. François Daguet OP | University of Tulsa | Political Theology from St. Thomas Aquinas to John Paul II and Benedict XVI [17] |
| Chantal Delsol | Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarinism Studies | End of the Christendom [18] |
| Rémi Brague | Sorbonne University | The Meaning of Art in Christianity in the Modern World [19] |
| Renato Cristin | University of Trieste | Formal and Vital Europe. Tradition as the Ground of the Identity [20] |
| Dariusz Gawin | Polish Academy of Sciences | The Phenomenon of Solidarity [21] |
| John Alderdice | House of Lords | Religion as a Source of Peace or Unrest in Society? |
| Jean-Luc Marion | Sorbonne University | Phenomenological Openness of Revelation [22] |
| George Weigel | Ethics and Public Policy Center | Karol Wojtyła's Areopagus Meditations: Lessons for the 21st Century West [23] |
| Andrea Riccardi | La Spienza University | John Paul II: Exception or Illusion? [24] |
| John Milbank | University of Nottingham | Virtue, Integralism and the Priority of the Social in Catholic Political Thought [25] |
| Carl A. Anderson | Catholic University of America | Christianity and Culture: A Truly Christian Life Bears Witness to Christ [26] |
| Ewa Thompson | University of Houston | Non-Germanic Central Europe – Can Christian Europe Survive without It? [27] |
| George Weigel | Ethics and Public Policy Center | Reconsidering Vatican Ostpolitik: The Statecraft of a Saint [28] |
| Stanisław Grygiel | Pontifical Lateran University | A Person is Reborn, a Person is not Reformed |
| Antoine Arjakovsky | Collège des Bernardins | Religion and Politics, from Totalitarianism to Democracy [29] |
| Joseph Weiler | European University Institute | Non-Christian Europe – Is It Possible? [30] |
| Vittorio Possenti | Ca'Foscari University | The truth we owe to man is, above all else, a truth about man himself [31] |
| Mirosława Grabowska | University of Warsow | Secularization in Europe: Theory and Reality |
| Helen Alford OP | Angelicum | The Crisis of Europe in the Light of the Church's Social Teaching [32] |
| Dariusz Karłowicz | Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University | Reset or Revolution? [33] |
| R. R. Reno | Creighton University | Christians in the Face of Political Polarization [34] |
| Franciszek Longchamps de Bérier | Jagiellonian University | Hominum causa: 'All Law is Established for Men's Sake' and the Dispute on the Essence of Man |
| Fr. Jarosław Kupczak OP | Pontifical University of John Paul II | "Christian Civilization" to "Truly Human culture". The Church and Culture after the Second Vatican Council |
| Jean-Luc Marion | Sorbonne University | Going around Metaphysics [35] |
| George Weigel | Ethics and Public Policy Center | John Paul II, the Primacy of Culture and the Contemporary Culture Wars [36] |
| Jarosław Kilian | Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art | Quem quaeritis? Theatre in Search of Meaning |
| Paul W. Knoll | University of Southern California | Learning from Pawel Włodkowic. Religious Freedom, Just War and Sovereignty of Nations (conference) [37] |
| Jean Luc-Marion | Sorbonne University | Question of Being and Revelation |
| Richard Swinburne | Oxford University | Rational Faith in Light of the Thought of John Paul II (conference) [38] |
| Fr. Cezary Binkiewicz OP | Angelicum | The Truth and Searching for a New Paideia [39] |
| Krzysztof Zanussi | Łódź Film School | Is There a Place for Cinema on Olympus? Cinema and Values [40] |
Let's Paint Catholicism Again (Polish: Namalować katolicyzm od nowa) is project aimed at renewing Western sacral painting, introducing high-quality contemporary painting to the Catholic churches and revitalizing the artistic patronage. It's originator was Dariusz Karłowicz. The Institute launched the project in cooperation with two other institutions: Saint Nicholas Foundation and Political Theology. It consists of a range of initiatives: book series "Let's Paint Catholicism Again", seminars, conferences, lectures and art exhibitions.
The artistic project is planned for 21 years. Each year a Mystery of the Rosary is selected and it is illustrated by a group of invited Polish painters. The process of painting is preceded by workshops, aimed at broadening the knowledge of artists in the field of theology, philosophy, and history of arts. So far, three editions have completed:
The paintings were exibited in Poland (Cracow and Warsaw) and Italy (Rome). Most of them had been sold either to private buyers or to the Church.
As of 2025 [update] , artists who take part in the fourth edition are working on their interpretations of the Nativity of Jesus. [41]
As part of its activities, the Institute publishes books in English. So far the following have been published: