October 16, 2009. In 1946, a young Karol Wojtyla studied in this Roman university. Today, 63 years later, the Pontificial University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, has inaugurated a semester in honor of it’s most special student: John Paul II.


Sister Helena Alford
Dean of Social Sciences, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
“John Paul finished his doctorate at the Angelicum about 60 years ago. So we start to thinking how could we celebrate the fact that he had studied with us at this time, and we evoke some of that period to help people to understand his thought better, and to understand him better as later as Pope."

In following the steps of young Wojtyla during his school years at the Angelicum one can also get a sense of his friends, like now cardinal Jorge Mejía.

Cardinal Jorge Mejía
Archivist and Librarian Emeritus of Vatican Secret Archives
“Here in this place, I met young Karol in November 1946 right after World War II had ended. I came from Argentina and he had come from Poland”.

During his early years in Rome, the future pope wrote his thesis here on Saint John of the Cross. He received 18 out of 20 points.

Today the university features a collection of testimonies, stories and documents on John Paul II. It’s a very special semester for the Angelicum. It’s organizers hope it culminates with the announcement of the beatification of Karol Wojtyla.

BR/RS