The Pontifical Society was founded in 1999 and is a select group of learned individuals recognising and fostering individual achievements among a diverse array of disciplines. Candidates must be nominated by two or more Fellows, then approved for Fellowship status via approval by the Board of Governors. Fellows have been recognised for their important contributions in the arts, journalism, medicine, economics, mathematics, physics, and international relations, and for military and civil service. Although it received an ecclesial charter, the Society operates as a secular and non-sectarian institution. Royalty, American Presidents, international clergy, Olympic athletes, and luminaries of the arts, entertainment, and sciences have been honoured. Prior to 2022, it was known as the Patriarchal and Royal Society of Arts and Sciences.