ACCORD SIGNED FOR CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL FACULTY IN ERFURT

VATICAN CITY, NOV 20, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy See announced that today in the Erfurt State Chancellery in the Federal Republic of Germany, an Accord was signed between the Holy See and the Free State of Thuringen regarding the constitution of the theological faculty of Erfurt as a Catholic Theological Faculty of Erfurt State University.

Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, apostolic nuncio in Germany, signed for the Holy See, and Bernhard Vogel, minister-president of Thuringen, for this State.

"The present Accord," says a communique released this morning, "consists of 9 articles and, in a Final Protocol, realizes the erection of a Catholic Theological Faculty in the University of Erfurt, which was foreseen in the General Accord signed on June 11, 1997 between the Holy See and the Free State of Thuringen."

"Through the present Accord, the Theological Faculty of Erfurt, which is the result of a Philosophical-Theological Study and was canonically erected with Decree N. 1281/90 dated May 22, 1999 of the Congregation for Catholic Education, is incorporated into the Erfurt State University.

"The above-mentioned Faculty will serve - in the research, teaching and study of theology - the promotion and the development of Catholic theology, the scientific formation in Catholic theology of candidates to the priesthood and other ecclesiastical ministers and the formation of religion teachers for schools."

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