Interview with the Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, Fr. José Fernández San Román, LC

Father José, the Faculty is presenting a wide range of online academic programs for the 2026-2027 academic year. What does this project represent for the Faculty’s mission?

This represents a strategic commitment to bringing the richness of the Church’s theological tradition to students worldwide. For decades, those wishing to pursue university-level theological training had to relocate to Rome, with all the economic, familial, and professional implications that entailed. Today, we can offer the same academic rigor, the same access to specialized professors, and the same richness of an international university community through online learning. We want priests, religious men and women, and committed lay people to be able to access solid training without abandoning their pastoral, family, or professional responsibilities. Our mission is to place theology at the service of evangelization, and the online format allows us to reach places that were previously more difficult to access.

What exactly will the online academic offerings in Spanish be for the next academic year?

For the 2026-2027 academic year, we offer a comprehensive program that includes two Bachelor’s degrees and three Diplomas. The Bachelor’s degrees are the Bachelor’s degree in Dogmatic Theology (with the first year online in Spanish) and the Bachelor’s degree in Spiritual Theology (with the first year online in Spanish). Alongside these, we offer two-year online Diplomas in Dogmatic Theology, Spiritual Theology, and Moral Theology of Marriage. This set of programs addresses diverse educational needs while sharing a common goal: to provide rigorous, up-to-date, and evangelizing training in service to the Church.

What distinguishes Licenses from Diplomas?

Bachelor’s degrees with the first year online in Spanish constitute second-cycle specialization studies and are geared towards those who wish to achieve advanced academic training. The second year is completed in person in Rome and in Italian. Two-year online diplomas in Spanish are designed for those who cannot relocate to Rome but still wish to obtain specialized training.

Let’s talk now about the Two-Year Diploma in Dogmatic Theology. Why is it so attractive to many students?

Because it offers a comprehensive and holistic view of the Christian faith. Many people are familiar with isolated aspects of Catholic doctrine, but they long to understand the whole in a coherent and systematic way. Dogmatic Theology allows us to delve deeper into the great mysteries of the faith, from Revelation and Sacred Scripture to the mystery of Christ, the Trinity, the Church, the sacraments, and eschatological hope. It is a program that helps us better understand what we believe and why we believe it. Furthermore, it provides essential tools for catechesis, teaching, preaching, and evangelization. Those who study it discover greater confidence in explaining the faith and engaging with the concerns of contemporary culture. In addition to the great Doctors of the Church, such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, we emphasize dialogue with contemporary culture, as exemplified by the theology of Joseph Ratzinger.

They also offer a two-year Diploma in Spiritual Theology. What does this program offer to those seeking deeper formation in the Christian life?

This program is especially valuable for those who wish to understand the spiritual dimension of Christian life in greater depth. Often, the faithful are familiar with Church doctrine but desire to learn how to live that faith more fully and maturely. This Diploma offers precisely that path. Over two years, students delve into the foundations of the spiritual life, the richness of Christian tradition, the experiences of the saints, and the diverse schools of spirituality that have enriched the life of the Church throughout the centuries. In particular, we aim to equip students with the skills to serve as spiritual directors and guides of spiritual exercises, all within the framework of the Theology of the Saints.

What makes this Biennial Diploma in Spiritual Theology particularly attractive?

What is most appealing is that it combines academic depth with practical application. It is not simply about studying theoretical concepts. Students learn to understand the processes of spiritual growth, the meaning of prayer, discerning God’s will, developing virtues, and the path to holiness. It is a program highly valued both by those with pastoral responsibilities and by those who wish to strengthen their own interior life. In a society characterized by haste, activism, and superficiality, this Diploma helps to rediscover the centrality of God and the richness of the Christian spiritual life.

Could we say that this is a particularly current training program?

Undoubtedly. Today there is a growing search for meaning, depth, and an authentic inner life. Many people discover that material well-being is not enough and seek deeper answers about their vocation, their mission, and their relationship with God. This Diploma provides access to the immense spiritual heritage of the Church and allows one to learn from the great masters of the Christian life. Therefore, in addition to imparting knowledge, it constitutes a genuine experience of human, spiritual, and apostolic growth.

The major new addition for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year is the Biennial Diploma in Moral Theology of Marriage. Why did you decide to create this new program?

Because we observe an increasingly urgent pastoral need. The family remains the heart of society and the Church, but at the same time, it faces unprecedented challenges. Priests, pastoral agents, educators, family counselors, and committed married couples need specific formation to respond adequately to the questions that arise today about love, marriage, affection, and the family. This new Biennial Diploma in Moral Theology of Marriage was created precisely to respond to this need and constitutes one of the major academic innovations of our Faculty for the 2026-2027 academic year, in line with this growing offering to support the Church in Latin America. I would like to emphasize that it is also possible to participate as an auditor.

What will students find when they enroll in this new Diploma program?

You will find a solid, up-to-date formation deeply connected to reality. You will study the anthropological and theological foundations of human love, the vocation to marriage, the theology of the body, marital morality, affective education, contemporary bioethical challenges, and the main issues related to the Christian family. Furthermore, you will learn concrete criteria for the pastoral accompaniment of married couples, engaged couples, and families. We aim to form individuals capable of illuminating the real and complex situations that arise daily in pastoral life with the truth of the Gospel.

Why do you think this proposal will be especially important?

Because it touches on one of the most important realities of human life. We all have experience of family, love, and personal relationships. However, cultural changes raise increasingly complex questions. This Diploma offers well-founded, current, and pastoral answers. Furthermore, it can be very useful for priests, deacons, consecrated persons, family ministry workers, educators, psychologists with a Christian perspective, and married couples who wish to be better prepared to serve other families. We believe it responds to a real and growing need within the Church.

What advantages does the online format offer to those who wish to take these programs?

The main advantage is accessibility. Students can participate from any country without having to travel to Rome. This allows people with family, professional, or pastoral responsibilities to access a university education of international quality. Furthermore, the online format facilitates interaction with classmates from different cultures and countries, greatly enriching the academic experience. Our students discover that they are part of a truly international community of learning and faith.

What can you tell us about your teachers?

Our faculty will include, among others, the following professors: Msgr. K. Nykiel, Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary; Sr. Daniela Del Gaudio, of the Pontifical International Marian Academy; Fr. Barrajón, member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology; G. Miranda, member of the Pontifical Academy for Life; D. Benoci, of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology; M. Faggioni, expert moral theologian and consultant to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; I. Andereggen, president of the Argentine Thomistic Society; Salvatore Martínez, former Italian president of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit; E. Eguiarte, expert on St. Augustine; A. Castellano, theologian and expert in the didactics of theology; S. Advani, expert on the thought of Ratzinger; M. Bravo, expert on the theology of Daniélou; R. Di Muro, coordinator of two dictionaries of spirituality, expert in mysticism and on Saint Maximilian Kolbe; J. Spence, expert on Saint Thérèse of Lisieux; A. Tagliafico, expert on Saint Ignatius of Loyola and discernment; and Rocco Buttiglione, expert on the thought of Karol Wojtyła. Nine of our professors belong to the Pontifical Academies in Rome.

What final message would you like to give to those who are thinking about enrolling?

I would tell them that theological formation is a lifelong investment. It not only provides knowledge; it helps one to better understand one’s own faith, strengthens one’s personal vocation, and empowers one to better serve others. Today, the Church needs Christians who combine doctrinal depth, spiritual maturity, and pastoral sensitivity. That is precisely what we seek to offer in our online programs.

I invite all those interested to discover our two online Bachelor’s degrees and our three online diplomas, and especially the new offering for the 2026-2027 academic year: the Biennial Online Diploma in Moral Theology of Marriage. From Rome, we want to accompany students throughout the Spanish-speaking world in an academic, human, and spiritual experience that can profoundly enrich their lives and their service to the Church.

Thank you very much, Father José.

Thank you. We look forward to continuing to grow together in our understanding of the faith and in our service to the Church’s evangelizing mission. We especially want to collaborate with and support the new evangelization in Latin America.

To learn more about the curriculum, registration process, and admission requirements for the 2026-2027 Online Licenses and Diplomas, please visit the following link:

https://www.upra.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Ordo-Accademico-2026_2027-DEF-WEB.pdf

Contact in Spanish for information and registration:

Irene Tognella
WhatsApp: (+39) 3398267427
E-mail: [email protected]