Overview
The alumni association of the Pontifical Biblical Institute was founded on 8 May 1999, in celebration of the Institute's 90th anniversary.
Its primary purpose is to encourage the relationship between the Institute and its alumni and between the alumni themselves, who participate in the common purpose of deepening the knowledge of the Bible and promoting its spread throughout the world.
Its primary purpose is to strengthen the relationship between the Institute and its alumni.
In particular, the Association aims to:
- promote the intellectual and spiritual well-being of alumni and, through them, of the Institute itself;
- to encourage the exchange of information between the Institute and the alumni and among the alumni;
- to promote the growth of the Library through the acquisition of books and by providing access for alumni;
- act as a meeting point between the professors of the Institute and alumni in various parts of the world.
Apply for Membership
If you attended the Biblicum and would like to apply to the Alumni Association, please click the Apply Now button.
The email address should be the one shared with the Secretariat of the Association. If no address has been provided (or if it has been modified) it is necessary to update your contact information first with the Secretariat
Featured Alumni
Among our diverse and talented alumni, the Pontifical Biblical Institute has graduated from several internationally renowned figures.
Cardinal Augustin Bea
President, Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity
Augustin Bea, S.J., was a German Jesuit priest and scholar at the Pontifical Gregorian University specialising in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He also served as the personal confessor of Pope Pius XII.
Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins
Archbishop, Archdiocese of Toronto
Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of Toronto, having previously served as Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta (1997–1999) and Archbishop of Edmonton (1999–2006). On 6 January 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him a cardinal at the 18 February 2012 consistory.
Cardinal Prosper Grech
Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria Goretti
Prosper Grech was a Maltese Augustinian friar, who co-founded the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 February 2012. He was the second Maltese member of the College of Cardinals, the first since 1843.
Cardinal Franz König
Archbishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of Vienna
Franz König was an Austrian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Vienna from 1956 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958. The last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope John XXIII, he was the second-oldest and longest-serving cardinal worldwide at the time of his death.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini
Archbishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of Milan
Carlo Maria Martini was an Italian Jesuit and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983. A towering intellectual figure of the Roman Catholic Church, Martini was the liberal contender for the Papacy in the 2005 conclave, following the death of Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal John Onaiyekan
Archbishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of Abuja
John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan is a Nigerian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a Cardinal in 2012. He has served as President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Bishop of Ilorin.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi
President, Pontifical Council for Culture
Gianfranco Ravasi is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 2010, he has been President of the Pontifical Council for Culture since 3 September 2007. He headed Milan’s Ambrosian Library from 1989 to 2007.
Cardinal Peter Turkson
Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is a Ghanaian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 24 October 2009 to 1 January 2017. Pope Francis named him the first prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, which began operations on 1 January 2017.
History of the Association
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Former Rector
The Founders
In his preface, Fr. Martini, Rector, underlined the purpose of this initiative: to strengthen the links between the Institute and its alumni and at the same time to encourage contact between the latter.
Establishing the Association
Over the years, the increased number of alumni, the geographical expansion of their origin and the development of new communication methods has opened new avenues to strengthen the connection between the Institute and its former students; a wish also expressed by many alumni.