History has been made this year at the Pontifical Gregorian University with the first-ever appointment of a woman as an academic dean since the university was founded nearly 500 years ago. Dr. Paola Mollo, at just 41 years old, has stepped into the role of Dean of the Faculty of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (also known as the “Oriental Faculty”). Its parent institute, the Biblicum, was founded in 1909, and this specialized faculty was born just two decades later, with a pressing need for scholarship in ancient oriental languages like Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic, Egyptian, Greek, and Aramaic.
The news made headlines in Italy in their renowned newspaper La Repubblica, featuring a photograph of Dr. Mollo and her beloved Biblicum library, filled with students poring over texts, mirroring her own studies 20 years ago in the very same place. For six years, she refined her skills in six different ancient languages. “I was the only woman in a class of 60 men,” she recounts. Those who study these ancient languages are able to bring to light exactly what was written in Sacred Scripture in its original form – ancient scrolls and torn papyrus. She points out that the recently published comparative study of different linguistic versions of the Book of Job took more than 30 years for a professor emeritus to complete, calling it “the project of a lifetime.” This level of scholarly rigor distinguishes the Biblicum faculty, whose cumulative and often lifelong research contributes to a more precise and faithful interpretation and understanding of Sacred Scripture.
This is one example of research that goes on at the institute amongst many. In fact, most of the professors at the Biblicum, in both departments, are involved in personal or group projects (together with other scholars and international universities) to carry out work in translation, editing, study, commentary, contextualization, exegesis, and philology. Research is a major part of academic life, and the professors try to pass this on to their students, especially doctoral students, by actively accompanying them in their research.
For centuries, only Jesuits were able to hold the esteemed position of dean (or beyond), and in more recent years, allowed for non-Jesuit priests to hold the office. Prior to Mollo’s appointment, the position was held by Fr. Craig Morrison, a Carmelite and renowned linguistic professor of Syriac and Aramaic. That all changed with some newly implemented statutes, allowing Dr. Mollo to step into this hard-earned position, with her 10 known languages in tow – Italian, English, French, German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, and Ugaritic.
Mollo shared with La Repubblica that during her time as a student, being the only woman in the classroom, “While I stood out, I never felt different – not even for half an hour.” That experience is what drove her to reach new heights. She added, “So many people were happy with the choice of a woman and someone my age [to be appointed as dean]. It’s an environment I’ve known for a long time; we respect each other, so it all feels very normal. I hope this is just the beginning – that it won’t be long till there are other women who will hold this title at the university. It’s so helpful for women who come to study here to see women represented.”
Reflecting on the cultural exchange the institute offers, she shared with the newspaper that when she first arrived, the two people she sat next to in class spoke a dialect only spoken by about 200,000 people in the Middle East. Today, as a professor, Dr. Mollo is moved by the testimonies of students who attend her Hebrew courses – one student recently remarking that only at the Gregorian – especially at the Biblicum – can one study such a wide range of ancient languages. The importance of the Biblicum and this department is just that: not only does it offer a modern cultural exchange in the classroom, but it spans millennia, connecting us to ancient peoples and our shared faith with them.
Dr. Mollo’s appointment is not only a historic milestone; it is a sign of the vitality of the Biblicum’s mission today, serving the modern church while safeguarding its heritage and roots in Sacred Scripture. Your support ensures this legacy continues to flourish and makes it possible for scholars like Dr. Paola Mollo to dedicate their lives to this work and be recognized as leaders in academics and in the global church.
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