2022 Ratzinger Prize winners announced

Pope Francis will award the 2022 Ratzinger Prize on December 1 to two scientists who have made outstanding contributions to theology.

In 2011, the Ratzinger Prize was created to honor scientists who, like Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, have made genuine and significant contributions through their work.

Ecumenical dialogue

This year, the prize is awarded to Professor Michel Fédou SJ and Professor Joseph Halevi Horowitz Weiler. Benedict XVI’s successor, Francis, will do so personally at a December 1 ceremony at the Vatican.

Michel Fédou is a French Jesuit father who has taught dogmatic theology at the Center Sèvres in Paris since 1987. He also directed the faculty of theology there. He is actively involved in ecumenical dialogue and is a member of several theological organizations that focus on dialogue with Lutheran and Orthodox Christians.

Law of crucifix in class

Joseph Halevi Horowitz Weiler is a Jewish jurist from several universities and international institutions. Weiler was born in South Africa, but is an Italian and American citizen. He is the author of numerous books on constitutional, international and European law, and human rights. As a teacher, he works not only in America, but also in various European countries.

In Italy, Weiler rose to prominence when he defended a case before the European Court of Human Rights regarding Italian law requiring a crucifix to be hung in every classroom. In the Lautsi vs. The Italian court ruled in March that this provision does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

Past winners

The statutes of the Ratzinger Foundation specify that scientists “who have made an extraordinary contribution through their publications and/or their scientific research” are eligible.

A total of 26 people have been awarded so far. Incidentally, this involved not only scientists, but also composers, musicians, architects and writers who made a unique contribution to the world of arts in relation to Christianity. Among them, not only Catholics, but also an Anglican and two Orthodox Christians.