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In 1990, Pope John Paul II issued a document on the mission and identity of Catholic universities called Ex corde Ecclesiae, which means "From the Heart of the Church." The Pope’s document initiated much discussion on Catholic campuses about what it means to be an institution of higher learning that is "born from the heart of the Church" (Ex corde Ecclesiae #1).

As a Catholic, Diocesan institution, Gannon is an academic community dedicated to teaching and scholarship, consecrated without reserve to the cause of truth. The very nature of the mission and environment of Gannon University is grounded in the Tradition of Roman Catholicism. Consequently, the education of Gannon students combines academic and professional development with formation in moral and religious principles.

Gannon University celebrates the Christian inspiration found in so many members of this community while recognizing that not everyone at Gannon is Catholic. The diversity of faith within the Gannon community provides the opportunity to practice respect for the religious freedom and the learned wisdom of all people. This practice is necessary for the University to meet its responsibility to its students and constituencies, and to maintain and strengthen its Catholic identity. With diversity, Catholic identity truly comes alive at Gannon. At the same time, in all of its diversity, Gannon University is an institution within the heart of the Catholic Church, and all of its activities are carried out in accord with Catholic principles and teachings.

In the particular, Roman Catholicism believes that

	God is a Trinity of Persons.
	God is fully incarnated in Jesus Christ,
	whose death and resurrection has brought salvation to all humankind,
	and whose presence continues to be incarnated in the world through the Church.
	The Church relies on Sacred Scripture and Tradition to unite God’s revelation with the search for human meaning.

Each tenet of this particular belief system offers a defining element to the identity of Gannon University in which all constituents of the University participate. While these elements are seen in other universities and are found in other religious traditions, their grounding in the particular beliefs of Catholicism makes them unique to a Catholic university. Regardless of one’s religious denomination or affiliation, all the constituencies of Gannon University have an essential role to play in expressing the defining elements of respect, sacramentality, service, community, and the dialogue between faith and reason.