Comparative legal and financial situation of the European catholic universities

Catholic universities are located throughout the world. The origins and evolution of these universities in Europe must be understood in the context of the history of the European university systems. Christian universities have certain characteristics, and Catholic universities demonstrate unique qualities in democratic societies where freedom of thought is a value upheld by public authorities. Common principles such as freedom in the search for truth, respect for all opinions or options, and academic freedom in thinking and research have traditionally been commonplace in these universities. Alice Gallin summarizes documents pertaining to the shared mission of Catholic universities but especially relevant are “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” and International Federation of Catholic Universities-European Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC-FUCE) documents.
The purpose of this essay is to investigate the legal and financial situation of Catholic universities in Europe. This study requires a prior broad understanding of church-state relations in Europe. The development of the different social and political nation-state traditions in Europe can be better understood by taking into account the particularities of the relationship between church, state, and nation throughout the centuries. Critical turning points such as the Reformation and French Revolution generated contrasting systems of power and opposition that continue to shape and inform the politics of the post–Second World War era.