The day of November 22 began with a mass in memory of Benedict XVI, celebrated in the Vatican Caves, near his tomb, presided over by Mgr Georg Gänswein, apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
“Today, in view of the imminent opening of the Jubilee, which Pope Francis has placed under the sign of hope, I would like to recall that the voice of Benedict XVI is one of the strong voices of hope which must accompany us. (…) In the dark times we are going through, Benedict XVI is a master who, while knowing the presence of evil and the tragedies of historical events, helps us to raise our eyes and find solid foundations to continue looking towards the ‘forward, towards unity, truth, beauty, love’. This is the central passage of the speech delivered by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the evening of Friday, November 22 in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, on the occasion of the ceremony of awarding the Ratzinger Prize to Professor Cyril O ‘Regan, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame (USA), and master sculptor Etsurō Sotoo, sculptor (Japan/Spain).
Introducing the ceremony, Father Federico Lombardi, president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, recalled that Professor O’Regan and Maestro Sotoo “were born respectively in Ireland and Japan: with them, the origins of the laureates extend to 18 different countries, spread across five continents.” Father Lombardi added that “the welcome presence today of a good number of laureates from previous editions (Professors Beré, Blanco Sarto, Chrostowski, Rowland, Schaller and Schlosser) shows that, in a certain sense, they constitute a “community”. A global community from a geographical point of view, and ecumenical from a religious point of view, which recognizes itself in the great ideals of Ratzinger-Benedetto: cultivating an “open reason”, an intelligence of research and dialogue, embracing disciplines and the arts, making us “cooperators of truth,” so that it can nourish the mind, the heart and the life.”
Monsignor Rino Fisichella and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, members of the Foundation’s scientific committee, then presented the profiles of the two winners of the 2024 edition, Professor Cyril O’Regan and Master Etsurō Sotoo, who then had the opportunity to address the audience.
After reviewing the various activities that the Foundation promotes, also in collaboration with various universities around the world, Father Lombardi recalled that “over time we do not really have the impression that our mission touches its end, but rather that it is confirmed. From different countries and continents we very often receive news of new cultural and academic initiatives, institutes, chairs, research projects, etc., which refer to Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, his thought and his work , which are born and develop by their own vitality, but who wish and seek to enter into relationships with each other to enrich and support each other, in the conviction of the actuality and fruitfulness of the inspiration of this big Pope, looking not so much at the past as at the future of the mission of the Church and the challenges of humanity.”
In the speech which was not read but which was delivered in front of those present, Cardinal Parolin emphasized that “we can recognize in the already long series of figures of the victors a unity and a coherence which are not superficial. In a certain sense, we could speak of ‘consonance’ with the thought, sensitivity and human and Christian witness of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI. We can and must also read this ‘consonance’ in the awarding of this prize.” “The reflection and teaching of Ratzinger-Benoît – continues Cardinal Parolin – covered a very wide range of theological and cultural, even social and political, problems and themes, but he never lost the ability to see them and to highlight their relationship with God through the search for truth. In this, he demonstrated his idea that human reason must always remain “open”, that each discipline must not be locked into sterile positivism, that questions about the meaning of life, of history, of the world , always remain current, necessary, fruitful, necessary for men of all times, all cultures and all situations. And although I am convinced that the ultimate answer to these questions is found in the truth revealed in Christ, the search for this truth and its deeper understanding always remains an open and surprising task, without which the dignity of the person and of human nature is degraded and the direction of its path is lost.”
Focusing on the profiles of the two laureates, the Cardinal Secretary of State notes that “as Professor O’Regan points out in several of his profound profiles of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, his voice has always been characterized by deep humility , by a clear desire to be the voice not of himself but of the tradition of the Church, in the service of the voice of the Lord Jesus; his vision has always been centered on God, who reveals himself by giving us everything that is good in Jesus Christ.”
Regarding Master Sotoo, the cardinal emphasizes that “all the voices of creation and history, in particular of course the voices of the history of salvation, are those that art also helps us to hear and to have. True art makes matter transparent to the mind. We experienced this fascinatingly in the immense task of building the Sagrada Família in all its details, including the works of Master Sotoo. We heard its meaning and inspiration from his own mouth. The stone, seemingly hard and inert, thanks to the creative work of the architect and sculptor, the efforts of the craftsman and worker, becomes a living voice of God’s creation and a manifestation of its beauty and love, a space where the assembly of the Church, itself composed of living stones built on the rock that is Christ, encounters God in prayer and in the celebration of the sacraments.”
Cardinal Parolin then recalled the motto chosen by the bishop and Pope Benedict: “Cooperatores Veritatis”. “This remains the motto of those who devote their lives to making the truth shine in all its forms, with intelligence, research and teaching, with the genius and effort of artistic expression, with the testimony of their human and ecclesial service. It is therefore the motto which also characterizes the life and work of the victors, and which we entrust to them today so that they continue to be effective witnesses.”
Finally, recalling “his unforgettable encyclical Spe Salvi”, which “is entirely devoted to hope, to human hopes and to Christian hope”, the cardinal noted that Benedict XVI “with courage and passion, manages to speak to us about mystery of judgment on the world and on history in the light of justice and mercy, encouraging us to bear with faith and hope the terrible weight of furious hatred and evil, which oppress our time and crush each day countless lives humans around us. The already mentioned vision of Christ Pantocrator, whom he contemplated in reflection and prayer until the last days of his life and in whom he placed his trust, is a vision of great hope, for all and for each one. When the glorious Christ opens his mouth, he says: “Fear not! I am the First, the Last and the Living. I was dead, but now I live forever and have power over death and hell’ (Rev 1:17-18).”
“Pope Benedict – concludes the cardinal – continues to accompany us so that we too can participate with him in his vision of faith, charity and hope”.
The day of November 22 began with a mass in memory of Benedict XVI, celebrated in the Vatican Caves, near his tomb, presided over by Mgr Georg Gänswein, Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. A moment lived “in deep spiritual union with Benedict XVI – underlined Father Lombardi – so that he continues to accompany us and inspire us on our path of faith and Christian commitment”.
The two winners were then received in audience by Pope Francis, “to receive – as explained by Father Lombardi, who accompanied them – his blessing and to demonstrate once again the closeness and will of our Foundation and of all of us to be fully inserted in the path of the Church guided by him and to contribute to it according to our vocation and our capacity.”
In addition to the members of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation, Cardinals Kurt Koch, Luis Francisco Ladaria and Gianfranco Ravasi and Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the ceremony took place in the presence, among others, of the Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinals Baldisseri, Fernández Artime, Marchetto, Müller, Roche, Vegliò and Bishop Staglianò.
The ceremony was enlivened by musical interludes from the Falconieri Ensemble (early music). The 2024 edition brings the total number of Ratzinger Prize winners to 30.
The Vatican has awarded the Nobel Prize in Theology to eminent figures in the fields of dogmatic or fundamental theology, Sacred Scripture, patrology, philosophy, law, sociology or artistic activity, music, architecture and now also sculpture.
Confirming the global cultural horizon of the prize, the winners come from 18 different countries on five continents: Germany (7), France (4), Spain (3), Italy (2), Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada. Estonia, Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, United States, South Africa, Switzerland.
The winners are not only Catholics, but also members of other Christian denominations (one Anglican, one Lutheran, two Orthodox) and one Jew.
