of Ph.D. in Theology and Master of Theological Studies, both also specialized in marriage and family. In 2007, the institute began offering an additional track for the M.T.S. degree focusing on biotechnology and ethics. Nature and Purpose Cultural issues are central for the work of the institute. The institute considers the study of culture, in particular the culture of modernity as developed in America, to be an integral part of the clarification of fundamental theological concepts. The institute engages this cultural study in light of the history of the Church and Christian thought, with special attention to the writings of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II. The aim of such study is to generate a “culture of life”: a culture whose members “see life in its deeper meaning, its beauty and its invitation to freedom and responsibility”; “who do not presume to take possession of reality, but instead accept it as a gift, discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and seeing in every person his living image” (Evangelium vitae, 83). Publishing The institute is home to the North American edition of the theological journal Communio. The institute's former dean and provost, David L. Schindler (1943-2022), served as editor-in-chief of the journal, and many other faculty members serve on its editorial board and are frequent contributors. The faculty also joined that of the worldwide Institute to contribute to a 2006 collection of essays entitled The Way of Love reflecting on Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical, Deus caritas est. References External links JPII Institute - Washington - official site Communio International Catholic Review - official site Catholic University of America Pope John Paul II Pontifical universities