«Ex Corde Ecclesiae» is the 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic higher education that describes the identity and mission of Catholic colleges and universities. It provides general norms to assist Catholic colleges and universities in fulfilling their vision and mandate.
Each conference of bishops adapts the norms to the special circumstances of educational institutions of the country, which the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education also approves.
The Canadian ordinances, approved by the nation’s bishops at their plenary assembly in October 2003, received the Holy See’s agreement on Aug. 18.
The ordinances will be officially promulgated by the bishops’ conference in the near future. Once the ordinances are promulgated, the colleges and universities will have until Aug. 18, 2005, one year following Vatican approval, to put them into effect.
