The mission of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is: 1. To provide a comprehensive understanding of person, marriage, and family, faithful to the Catholic tradition and in light of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, and, reciprocally, to explore the implications of this understanding for the whole of theology and philosophy—all by means of a multidisciplinary education centered in theology and philosophy and integrated in light of John Paul II’s notion of man and woman as an embodied, sexually differentiated communion of persons created in the image of God and destined for a state of life; 2. To develop a critical understanding of issues on marriage and family, biotechnology, and ethics in light of Western/modern assumptions regarding the human person, as these bear on the nature and dignity of human life and the transcendental meaning of beauty, truth, and goodness, in a way that fosters a unity of theory and practice at the service of the Church’s “new evangelization”; 3. To offer accredited pontifical degree programs, as well as civilly accredited graduate degree programs (master’s, license, and doctoral-level education); 4. To prepare graduates (laypersons, priests, and religious) for teaching and research in academic, seminary, and diocesan contexts; for work in legal, medical, and other professional occupations; and for evangelization of the family as the foundation for the development of a “culture of life” leading to the creation of a “civilization of love”; and 5. To undertake significant research and publication relative to the contemporary discussion regarding person, marriage, and family, and the implications of the Church’s teachings on these matters for broader problems in theology, philosophy, and culture.