Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale96

located in the Republic of China, shall be fully subject to the legislation of the

Republic of China regarding the organization, academic degrees, quality and

accreditation measurements and other principles and provisions inherent to

its Higher Education System.

(ii) Respecting a clear religiously based profile and identity as an

added value and legitimate expression of the variety of Higher Education,

Catholic Higher Education Institutions - in accordance to the Apostolic

Constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae (1990) and any other norm of Canon law

regarding Catholic Higher Education - shall be free to develop a clear

Catholic profile and exercise their academic activities according to the prin-

ciples of faith and moral teaching defined by the Magisterium of the Catholic

Church. The same institutions - respecting the principles of freedom of

conscience and of religion of every student in accordance with Article 13 of

the Constitution of the Republic of China as well as with Article 7 of the

Private School Law (2008) - shall be able to offer courses of introduction

into Philosophy, Social Doctrine, Ethics, Anthropology and Catholic Reli-

gion/Theology as part of their programs.

(iii) As regards the Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (i.e. those

which are erected or approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education of

the Holy See and which enjoy the right to award academic degrees in the

name of the Holy See), which specifically pertain to the sphere of Religion,

the Republic of China is to recognize the unique character of this worldwide

Educational System over which the Holy See has the sole competence when it

comes to the content of religious doctrine, the approval of Programs of Study

and Institutional Statutes, as well as the appointment, promotion and

dismissal of governance and teachers.

(iv) The competent authorities shall be enabled to agree - through

legally binding contracts - with teachers and staff on a code of conduct,

principles and values to assure full compliance with the Catholic profile and

identity as well as procedures for addressing cases of grave violations of the

same principles.

(C) The Parties agree that in both Higher Education Systems adequate

measures and instruments for Quality Assurance and/or Accreditation

according to international standards should be in place and be enabled to

operate and cooperate with each other within their own Higher Education