As a network of Catholic Institutions of Higher Education dedicated to teaching and research in the different fields of Philosophy, COMIUCAP (Conférence Mondiale des Institutions Universitaires Catholiques de Philosophie) was founded in Rome in April 1999. The creation of this network was a direct consequence of the publication of «Fides et Ratio», the Encyclical of Pope John Paul II dedicated to Philosophy. The creation of COMIUCAP was made official during the General Assembly that took place at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris. That happened in March of the year 2000.
From among its goals and objectives, COMIUCAP emphasizes here the following:
1. promotion of quality and diversity in the philosophical research in the diversified context of Catholic higher education throughout the world;
2. implementation and sustainable development of research and study around questions that are particularly relevant for the further development of the Identity and the Mission of the Catholic University today;
3. identification of situations and problems in contemporary societies and cultures that may generate, or simply demand, new ways of thinking in accordance with the values of the Gospel and the teachings of the Christian tradition(s) (and, thus, both encourage and underline the special relevance and importance of Philosophy in the context of Catholic higher education today);
4. promotion of collaborative exchanges of information and services among men and women dedicated to professional research and teaching in Philosophy around the world;
5. facilitate the exchange of students and teachers among Catholic institutions of higher education on a regional and global scale;
6. develop collaborative strategies destined to assist deans of faculties and other persons in positions of leadership within Catholic institutions of higher education to better fulfill their roles and mission;
7. promote an ever more vital and dialogical relationship between Philosophy and Theology, as well as between these two and all the other Sciences.