Our Mission

The Catholic University of America’s Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies [IPR] is an interdisciplinary policy research center whose Fellows, scholars, and students provide timely analysis of policy issues relevant to the life of the Church, the University, legislators, scholars, professionals, and concerned citizens, including the media.

IPR provides a forum that welcomes and encourages participation and active collaboration among scholars, professionals and experts from a variety of disciplines, institutions, and faith traditions. IPR proudly shares our research with the public, the Church, policymakers, media, and interested scholars.

IPR organizes, facilitates, and sponsors policy analysis, empirical research, and publications focused on the policies that govern the public and private sectors.

Since our founding in 1974, our Fellows and scholars have organized hundreds of symposia, conferences, round-tables, debates, lectures, and publications, each of which was carefully designed to bring rigorous academic research to bear on contemporary questions that lie at the intersection of law, religion, and policy.

CUA_campus+from+DANA+.jpg

What’s Happening Now in IPR?

  • Director David Long was named the new Dean of the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies, with a start date of June 1, 2024.

  • The Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies was proud to be a sponsor for the lecture by Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Cathleen Kaveny from the Boston College School of Law. This lecture took place on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 5:15 pm in Heritage Hall on The Catholic University of America campus. Professor Kaveny gave a talk entitled "Can We Be Civil? Prophetic Indictment and Call-Out Culture in American Public Life."

  • Senior Fellow Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love recently represented the Holy See at the second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. After that meeting, the Holy See requested representatives to post Pope Francis’ World Day of Peace message on Artificial Intelligence and Peace.

  • IPR hosted “The Nuremberg Principles: The Contemporary Challenges” conference on March 27, 2023 in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington DC, the ICWC at the Philipps-University Marburg, The International Nuremberg Principles Academy, and Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

  • Senior Fellow Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love has a new article out in “Providence” magazine titled "Law and Just War Tradition: Passing HR 1009".

  • IPR is proud to announce the release of the study “Catholic Programs Serving the Colorado Community: An Economic Impact Report of the Catholic Church in Colorado”. This report is available on the IPR website here.

  • Senior Fellows Prof. Marshall Breger and Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, and Collegiate Fellow Dr. Herbert Reginbogin participated in a book discussion titled “The Vatican and Permanent Neutrality” with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, & World Affairs. This event took place on Monday, December 5, 2022.

  • IPR co-sponsored the conference “Catholic Social Teaching, Just War, Peacebuilding, and Environmental Justice: Carrying Forward the Legacy of Fr. Drew Christiansen” from November 14 through November 16, 2022 on the campus of Georgetown University. Senior Fellows Prof. Patricia Andrasik, Dr. William Barbieri, and Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love were speakers at the conference honoring Fr. Christiansen and his contributions to issues of peacebuilding, just war, nuclear disarmament, and environmental justice.

  • Senior Fellow Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love spoke on Just War Tradition and HR 1009 with Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-California) at Georgetown University on November 4, 2022. A video link to the event can be found at https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/events/just-war-theory-roundtable-discussion. She also led a panel discussion for the Council on Foreign Relations on "The Future of Nuclear Weapons" with former United States Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer and Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite on November 8, 2022.

  • On August 28, 2022, Collegiate Fellow Fr. Eugene Hemrick, Director of the National Institute for the Renewal of the Priesthood, delivered a presentation at Mount Angel Abbey Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon on “The Life and Legacy of Fr. Romano Guardini”. Fr. Hemrick explored examples of Guardini's works that define his uniqueness and contribution to our postmodern world.

Find out more about what the Institute is doing by visiting the OUR EVENTS and OUR WORK pages on our website.

You can also follow the Institute on Twitter and join us on LinkedIn.