The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for studies on Marriage and Family, established in 1981 by His Holiness John Paul II, with its central faculty in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University has a network of specialized sessions for studies on Marriage and Family across the whole world. The Institute is in a certain sense an “unicum” among the Ecclesiastical Academies. In fact, the Institute is one (with one Chancellor and one President) and, at the same time, it is structured on each Continent by means of the juridical figure known as Session. Through the Apostolic Constitution Magnum Matrimonii Sacramentum of 07 October 1982, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Central Session of the Institute was established and its identity and purpose were defined. On that occasion the Institute was entrusted in a special way to the care of the most Blessed Virgin Mary under her title, Our Lady of Fatima. Since the foundation of the Central session in Rome, the Institute has spread to the five Continents with sessions in Washington D.C (United States), Mexico City and Guadalajara (Mexico), Valencia (Spain), Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), Cotonou (Benin-Africa), Melbourne (Australia) and Changanacherry (India). Though the courses at this Indian Session of the Institute had already started in the year 1997, only in November 2001 did the Institute become the Indian Session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute through a Decree from the Congregation for Catholic Education. The studies undertaken at this Institute are awarded with Pontifical degrees from the Lateran University. The academic Authorities are personal and collegial (See Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, art. 15). The personal authorities are: for the entire Institute and the Central Session, the Grand Chancellor and the President of the Institute; for the Central Session its Vice-President; for the extra-urban Sessions, also their respective Vice-Grand Chancellor and Vice-President. The collegial authorities for the entire Institute are Higher Council and the Council of the Institute; for the Central Session the Council of the Central Session; for the respective Sessions the Session Council.