João Paulo II University Library on the European Heritage Days Programme

The João Paulo II University Library will host the documentary exhibition "Portugal e a Adesão às Comunidades Europeias: Documentos do Fundo Ernâni Lopes" from September 18 to November 28, as part of the programme for the European Heritage Days taking, place from September 18 to 27. The exhibition invites visitors to revisit one of the most significant moments in Portugal's contemporary history: the path that led to the country's accession to the European Communities.

Drawing on documents from the Ernâni Lopes Fund, the exhibition explores Portugal's accession process between 1977, when the country formally applied for membership, and 1986, when accession was completed. The selected documents provide insight into a defining period in Portugal's contemporary history, marked by the consolidation of democracy following the 25 April 1974 Revolution and by the country's economic and institutional preparations for European integration.

Currently undergoing cataloguing and technical processing, the collection is presented through a representative selection of its holdings, offering visitors the opportunity to explore documents that illustrate the accession negotiations, the functioning of institutional networks, and the decision-making processes that shaped Portugal's entry into the European Communities.

Also as part of the 2026 European Heritage Days, the João Paulo II University Library is hosting the documentary exhibition “110 Years of Guilherme Braga da Cruz: A Documentary Exhibition”, organised by the “Archival Studies and Memory” Working Group of the Centre for the Study of Religious History (CEHR), in collaboration with the Library. The exhibition brings together a selection of documents from the Guilherme Braga da Cruz Archive, made available through PAPIR – Platform for Personal and Religious Institution Archives, offering an insight into the academic, scholarly and civic career of this prominent figure in Portuguese academia and 20th-century Catholic thought.

Both initiatives are open to the entire academic community and the general public, promoting free, inclusive and unrestricted access to documentary heritage, culture and knowledge.