At the Convent of Santo Spirito in Florence, the International Study Center Pope Leo XIV has been established — an institute that will operate nationally and internationally to promote education for social and political life, responding to the Pope’s call to rediscover the teachings of the Church’s Social Doctrine as a response to the challenges of the modern world.
Its goal is to foster participation in political life by nurturing the human desire for relationships and unity, overcoming the culture of suspicion and fear. Its method lies in cultivating an authentic outlook on everyday life, grounded in the Gospel and in the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The Study Center is open to everyone, regardless of ethnic or religious background, offering interdisciplinary training in social and political life through courses and conferences.
Born within the experience of the Augustinian Order, the Center will collaborate with the Theological Faculty of Central Italy, the Patristic Institute of the Augustinian Fathers of Rome, SAGAS Florence, the University of Florence, and Villanova University (USA). It is also open to partnerships with other academic, cultural, and social institutions that share its guiding principles and goals.
The presentation, held this morning at Palazzo Vecchio, brought together civic and religious institutions.
“This marks the beginning of an important initiative that unites study, research, and youth engagement in the name of our Pope, Leo XIV,” said Mayor Sara Funaro, opening the event. “We are pleased that our city, and in particular the Convent of Santo Spirito — a place that for years has attracted young people to reflection and faith — has been chosen as the home of the International Study Center. With its establishment, Florence gains a new space for reflection on ethical issues, which are increasingly central to our society.”
“The Order of Saint Augustine is pleased to take part in this new initiative,” declared Father Joseph Farrel, Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, as he read the decree from the Secretariat of State confirming the Center’s official establishment. “With the creation of the International Study Center Pope Leo XIV, we will be able to offer a wide range of programs, conferences, and events bringing together scholars and students from around the world to explore the relationship between culture and theology, society and Saint Augustine.”
“The Province of Italy of the Augustinian Order welcomes with great enthusiasm the official foundation of the International Study Center dedicated to Pope Leo XIV,” added Father Gabriele Pedicino, Provincial of the Augustinian Order in Italy. “It is particularly significant that this Center is born in Florence, at the Basilica of Santo Spirito — the cradle of Humanism and the Renaissance.”
The first initiatives? “A cycle of three conferences led by Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, Giuseppe Caruso, and Donatella Pagliacci, who will help us reflect on how Saint Augustine approached the theme of peace and social life in the light of the Bible, especially the Gospel of Saint John,” announced Father Giuseppe Pagano, Prior of Santo Spirito.
According to Francesco Salvestrini, Professor at the SAGAS Department of the University of Florence, the aim is “to promote dialogue among the components of contemporary society through historical and anthropological research and the promotion of cultural activities, with special attention to the ethical and religious dimension. The Center seeks to collaborate with institutions dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, such as universities, academies, and research institutes.”
“Patristics holds a remarkable place in the Magisterium of the Church — even more so today under Pope Leo XIV,” concluded Juan Antonio Cabrera Montero, Dean of the Patristic Institute in Rome.
