At the beginning of the academic year 2001-2002 the Faculty of Theology of Lugano (following FTL) moved to the USI Campus and it was erected the International Institute of Canon Law and Comparative Law of Religions (from the Italian name the acronym DiReCom). This aims to offer to its students, who live near and far, the opportunity to receive a scientific education in Comparative Canon Law, Ecclesiastical Law and Comparative Law of Religions. Education and scientific research follow the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, in which “the teaching of canon law” should take into account “the mystery of the Church, according to the dogmatic constitution De Ecclesia” (OT 16,4); and of the most recent Papal Magisterium, in particular of St. John Paul II about the new canonical hermeneutic, of Pope Benedict XVI about needing to rediscover the role of natural law in the comparative legal analysis of the various religious legal systems, and of Pope Francis about the need that also the Canon Law has to take into account the emergency to move “from a pastoral ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral ministry” (Evangelii Gaudium, 15).
The contribution of the DiReCom Institute to the educational and scientific activity of the FTL, regarding the faculties of Canon Law and Ecclesiastical Law, ensures the proper teaching of the Institute in the different courses of studies of the FTL; promotes the study of Canon Law (the Latin one and the Oriental one), of Ecclesiastical Law and of Comparative Law of Religions with a specific Master; besides it promotes scientific research in these faculties.
Here was born the Specialist degree course or Master of Arts in Comparative Canon and Ecclesiastical Law.
This is the first course of comparative studies that has a university level and it differs in its original offers, compared to the most recent courses of the other Universities.
First of all, it focuses on the theological education with a comparative perspective.