At the 2022 Ratzinger Prize award ceremony, Pope Francis underlined the importance of the contributions of the current winners, Father Fedo and Prof. Weiler, and praised the prize as a guide to research and life.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis addressed the 2022 Ratzinger Prize ceremony on December 1, greeting all those present and paying special tribute to the winners. This year’s winners are Christian theologian Father Michel Fédou and Jewish professor Joseph Halevi Horowitz Weiler.
In his speech, Pope Bergoglio first of all underlined the “spiritual presence and companionship in prayer” of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose writings and ideas “continue to bear fruit and continue to function”.
Referring to the 60th anniversary of the recently celebrated opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis underlined the role of Joseph Ratzinger in the Second Vatican Council: in that period Father Ratzinger participated for the first time as an expert and contributed to several documents. birth, and then “served alongside Saint John Paul II, and then, as pastor of the universal Church, led the ecclesial community to implement” the spirit of Vatican II. A few days ago, the Pope emeritus was still available to explain through letters the key role of Vatican II, and to advance the necessary indications on the central nodes of the nature of the Church and of her mission in the contemporary era.
“These contributions provide a solid theological basis for the Church’s journey: it teaches us to see a ‘living’ Church, which lives in communion, and ‘walks together’ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, always evangelizing and at the service of the world. to open.”
Pope Ratzinger’s teaching and thought “do not point to the past, but bear fruit for the future”, which helps to implement the spirit of Vatican II and promotes dialogue between the Church and today’s world in the areas of the most heated discussions , such as: Ecology as a whole, human rights, and the meeting of different cultures.
The Pope then set his sights on this year’s winners, Father Fedo and Professor Weiler, praising them for their academic and teaching merits.
Speaking of Father Fedo, a Jesuit confrere, the Pope hailed him as “the master of the theology of the Christian faith”. Father Fedu dedicated his life to research and teaching, especially on the works of the Eastern and Western Fathers and on the development of Christianity over the centuries. Fr. Fedu does not deal only with the past, but also with current events in the field of ecumenism and interreligious relations.
Furthermore, Father Fedou is also an “excellent heir to the great tradition of French theology”, playing the role of inheriting the past and ushering in the future. “Without this French theological contribution, the reflections of the Second Vatican Council could not have been of such richness, depth and breadth, and we must hope that this will continue to bear fruit and lead to its long-term practice,” the Pope said. .”
Another laureate, Professor Weiler, is the first Jew to receive the Ratzinger Prize. Pope Francis expressed his joy at this, and recalled that Benedict XVI once stated that “from the very beginning his personal theological work had a purpose, that is to share and promote the development of Christians and Jews after the Second Vatican Council. reconciliation”.
Furthermore, Professor Weiler resonates with Benedict XVI on other topics, including: the relationship between belief and legal reasoning in the contemporary world; the crisis of legal positivism and the conflict caused by the unlimited expansion of individual rights; A correct understanding of the exercise of religious freedom in a culture which tends to confine religion to the private sphere.
“These awards, in addition to well-deserved recognition for their recipients, shine a light on missions, research and meaningful lives. All of which inspire our admiration and must be held up for everyone’s attention.”
Finally, Pope Francis once again congratulated the winners and hoped that they continue to work hard. The Pope also implored God to bless them and their families, as well as the members and supporters of the Ratzinger Foundation.
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