Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Despite its name, the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is not one of the ten Pontifical Academies of the Holy See. The patron of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is Saint Anthony the Great. History The diplomatic service of the Holy See can be traced back to 325 AD when Pope Sylvester I sent legates to represent him at the First Council of Nicaea. The academy was created as the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles in 1701 by Abbot Pietro Garagni, in close collaboration with Blessed Sebastian Valfrè of the Turin Oratory. The current name was given by Pope Pius XI (c. 1930).