The Ratzinger Foundation, also known as The Pope Benedict XVI Foundation, is a charitable organization whose aim is "the promotion of theology in the spirit of Joseph Ratzinger." which it achieves by funding scholarships and bursaries for poorer students across the world. /ref> The foundation was launched on the initiative of former students (including 16 professors) of Joseph Ratzinger in December 2007.
The foundation makes much of its money from the selling of
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
's writings. In 2007, £1.6 million was raised for the charity by the selling of Pope Benedict's biography on Christ, ''
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
''.
The charity also receives private donations and has close links with the
Ratzinger Circle of Alumni
The Ratzinger Circle of Alumni is an initiative by former doctoral and post-doctoral students of theologian Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). The Alumni is composed by former students of the universities of University of Bonn, Bonn 1959 ...
(Ratzinger Schülerkreis), a group of theology students who, at doctoral and post-doctoral level, studied under the tutorship of then Professor Ratzinger. The Circle was formed after Ratzinger was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Munich.
Ratzinger Prize
At the 2010 meeting, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI had decided to donate a sizable sum of money for the establishment of a sort of 'Nobel Prize in Theology' (as
Camillo Ruini
Camillo Ruini (; born 19 February 1931) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was made a cardinal in 1991. He served as president of the Italian Episcopal Conference from 1991 to 2007 and as Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome fro ...
called it) in recognition of those who perform promising scholarly research relating to or expounding upon his work; it was named the Ratzinger Prize, and each winner will receive a check for $87,000. The Prize is awarded in three areas:
Sacred Scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
study,
patristics
Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...
and
fundamental theology
Fundamental theology, in John Hardon's ''Modern Catholic Dictionary'', is a "branch of theology which establishes the fact that God has made a supernatural revelation and established the Church, founded by Christ, as its divinely authorized custodi ...
.
On Thursday, 30 June 2011 Benedict XVI presented the three inaugural prizes to the winners in a ceremony at the papal residence, the
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the V ...
, in the Vatican:
* Reverend Professor
Olegario González de Cardedal
Olegario González de Cardedal (born October 2, 1934) is a Spanish Catholic theologian and author. He was born in Lastra del Cano ( Ávila), Spain, in 1934. He studied in Ávila, where he was ordained a priest in 1959, and at the University of ...
, a Spanish priest and professor specializing in dogmatic and fundamental theology at the
Pontifical University of Salamanca
The Pontifical University of Salamanca (in Spanish: ''Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca'') is a private Roman Catholic university based in Salamanca, Spain.
History
This Pontifical University has its origins in the unique University of Sa ...
in
Salamanca, Spain
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...
;
* Reverend Professor Maximilian Heim, O.Cist. was born as Heinrich Josef Heim in Kronach on 14 April 1961. He earned his master in theology at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
in 1987 and was ordained a priest at Heiligenkreuz in 1988. In 2003 Heim earned his PhD concentrating on the ecclesiology of cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He went on to teach
fundamental theology
Fundamental theology, in John Hardon's ''Modern Catholic Dictionary'', is a "branch of theology which establishes the fact that God has made a supernatural revelation and established the Church, founded by Christ, as its divinely authorized custodi ...
at the University of Heiligenkreuz. The awarded work is called ''Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology: Fundamentals of Ecclesiology''. He is abbot of
Heiligenkreuz monastery
Heiligenkreuz Abbey (german: Stift Heiligenkreuz; en, Abbey of the Holy Cross) is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria. It is the olde ...
in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
* Professor
Manlio Simonetti
Manlio Simonetti (2 May 1926 – 1 November 2017) was an Italian scholar of Patristics and the history of Biblical interpretation.
Biography
Simonetti was born in Rome on 2 May 1926.
His early studies were in Classics (philology and history) a ...
was born in Rome on 2 May 1926 (and died on 2 November 2017). In June 1947 he completed his classical studies at the
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...
, where he became professor for Christian history in 1969. He was respected as an expert in Ancient Christian studies and Patristic Biblical interpretation. He was a member of the
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...
.
On Saturday, 28 September 2012, it was announced that the 2012 winners of the Ratzinger Prize were:
*Reverend Professor Brian E. Daley, S.J., an American Jesuit who is Catherine F. Huisking Professor of Theology at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a graduate of Fordham University and a Rhodes Scholar who entered the Society of Jesus in 1964 and was ordained to the presbyterate in 1970. He currently serves as executive secretary of the Catholic-Orthodox Consultation for North America.
*Professor
Rémi Brague
Rémi Brague (born 8 September 1947) is a French historian of philosophy, specializing in Islamic, Jewish, and Christian thought of the Middle Ages. He is professor emeritus of Arabic and religious philosophy at the Sorbonne, and Romano Guardin ...
, a French professor emeritus of medieval Arabic Philosophy at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
in Paris, and is professor of philosophy or religion at the Ludwig- Maximilian University in Munich. He is married and has four children.
On Friday, 21 June 2013, the 2013 winners were announced:
*Reverend Professor Richard A. Burridge, Dean of
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
*Professor
Christian Schaller
Christian Schaller (born 1967) is a German Roman Catholic theologian from Munich. In June 2013, he was co-recipient, with Richard A. Burridge, of the Ratzinger Prize.
Life
Schaller was born in Munich in 1967. He studied at the faculty of the ...
The laureates in 2014 were:
*
Anne-Marie Pelletier
Anne-Marie Pelletier (born 1946) is a noted Catholic Church, Catholic biblical scholar whose works include study of the Song of Songs.
Life
Pelletier was born in Paris on 13 June 1946.Waldemar Chrostowski
The laureates in 2015 were:
* Nabil el-Khoury (born 1941), Lebanese theologian
* Mario de França Miranda, S.J. (born 1936), Brazilian theologian
The laureates in 2016 were:
* Ioannis Kourempeles
* Inos Biffi
The laureates in 2017 were:
*Professor Karl-Heinz Menke, a Catholic
*Professor Theodor Dieter, a Lutheran
*Maestro
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...
, an Orthodox classical music composer
Also, in 2017, the first edition of the "Ragione Aperta" (Open Reason) Prizes, for research (
Darcia Narvaez
Darcia Narvaez (dar-sha narv-eyes) is a Professor of Psychology Emerita at the University of Notre Dame who has written extensively on issues of character, moral development, and human flourishing.
Biography
Narvaez was born in Minneapolis, M ...
; and
Claudia Vanney Claudia may refer to:
People Ancient Romans
*Any woman from the Roman Claudia gens
*Claudia (vestal), a Vestal Virgin who protected her father Appius Claudius Pulcher in 143 BC
*Claudia Augusta (63–63 AD), infant daughter of Nero by his second ...
Michael Garanzini
Michael J. Garanzini, S.J. (born September 24, 1948, in Saint Louis, Missouri) is an American priest in the Society of Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as President of both the International Association of Jesuit Universiti ...
; and Sarolta Laura Baritz), were presented by the foundation.
The 2018 laureates were:
*Professor Marianne Schlosser, a Catholic professor of spiritual theology at the University of Wien, and a member of the International Theological Commission and the Commission on the Female Diaconate.
*
Mario Botta
Mario Botta (born 1 April 1943) is a Swiss architect.
Career
Botta designed his first building, a two-family house at Morbio Superiore in Ticino, at age 16. He graduated from the Università Iuav di Venezia (1969). While the arrangements of spa ...
a Swiss Catholic architect who has designed multiple modern and postmodern religious buildings.
The 2019 laureates were:
* Charles Taylor, Canadian philosopher and professor emeritus at McGill University.
* Paul Béré, a Jesuit priest from Burkina Faso and the first African winner of the prize.
The 2020 laureates were:
*
Jean-Luc Marion
Jean-Luc Marion (born 3 July 1946) is a French philosopher and Roman Catholic theologian. Marion is a former student of Jacques Derrida whose work is informed by patristic and mystical theology, phenomenology, and modern philosophy.Horner 2005. ...
, French theologian, phenomenologist, and historian of philosophy
* Tracey Rowland, Australian theologian
The 2021 laureates were:
*
Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz
Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz (born 23 November 1945) is a German Catholic philosopher and author. She studies Catholic religious philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Biography Education
Gerl-Falkovitz studied philosophy, German Studie ...
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
The 2022 laureates were:
* Michel Fédou, Jesuit professor and theologian
*
Joseph Weiler
Joseph Halevi Horowitz Weiler (born 2 September 1951) is a South African-American academic, currently serving as European Union Jean Monnet Chair at New York University Law School and Senior Fellow of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European S ...