FOURTH EDITION OF THE RATZINGER PRIZE

RATZINGER PRIZE 2014

22-XI-14-sala-del-Concistoro

The fourth edition of the Ratzinger Prize was celebrated in the morning of Saturday 22nd November 2014, in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace (Vatican City). This year, the prize was given to Anne-Marie Pelletier, French professor of Sacred Scriptures and Biblical hermeneutics at the Notre Dame Faculty of the Seminary of Paris, and to Waldemar Chrostowski, Polish professor of Exegesis of the Old Testament and of Theology at the Theology Faculty of the Academy of Warsaw. Due to his obligations, Pope Francis asked cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and editor of the Opera Omnia by Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, to represent him and to make the speech.

Cardinal Müller reminded that: “the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is particularly close to Joseph Ratzinger, not only because he guided the Congregation for more than 23 years, but also because the Congregation has the aim to promote and defend the doctrine of the faith. The rich theology of the Pope emeritus has been very useful to this purpose, because he has highlighted the power and the beauty of Christian doctrine”. As the prefect remembered “Joseph Ratzinger has been defined as the ‘Mozart of theology’. Cardinal Müller expressed “ the deep gratitude of the Church to Benedict XVI for his unceasing work as a scholar and a master of the science of God”. Finally the Cardinal repeated the words Pope Francis had said during the celebration of the Ratzinger Prize 2013, when he affirmed that “Pope Benedict has donated his most precious gift to the Church: his knowledge of Jesus, as a result of many years of research, theological debate and prayers. It is because Benedict XVI made theology on his knees”.

In his opening speech, Msgr. Giuseppe Antonio Scotti, president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, made reference to the concepts of parrhesia, courage, will to go on, hope and noted that “it is the spiritual description of the two people we have in front of us. They demonstrated that it is true that “love brings intellect in man’s life as a mother helps her children for their future” as Methol Ferré has said. “Jesus Christ represents our guide from time to time” “Pelletier and Chrostowski helped the youth to find Christ again”.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Scientific Committee of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, described the profiles of the two scholars: “Anne-Marie Pelletier, expert of hermeneutics and biblical exegesis, dedicated her research to the theme of women in Christianity. “She is the first lady to receive the prize” said the Cardinal. “Pelletier is a distinguished figure in contemporary French Catholicism”, commented Cardinal Ruini, “with deserved scientific prestige, a great and versatile cultural liveliness and an authentic dedication to causes of the highest importance for Christian witness in society”. Prof. Waldemar Chrostowski has always fostered the popularization of the Bible through spiritual exercises, training courses and pilgrimages. He is also engaged in Catholic-Jewish and Polish-Jewish dialogue. He combines scientific rigour with passion for the Word of God, service to the Church and engagement in interreligious dialogue”. He is the first Polish that received the Ratzinger Prize.

Among the participants to the celebration there were bishops and cardinals, the Dean of the College of Cardinals Angelo Sodano, the Scientific Committee and the Board of Directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation and many scholars that received the Prize in the previous years.

THE PROFILES OF THE AWARDED SCHOLARS

ANNE-MARIE PELLETIER

anne-marie-pelletier-Copia

Anne-Marie Pelletier, was born in Paris on 13th June 1946. She is married and has three children. She earned the Ph.D. in Sciences of Religions at the University of Paris VIII. She taught General Linguistics and Comparative Literature at the University of Paris X, then Marne-la-Vallee, as well as Theology of marriage at the Catholic Institute of Paris. Today she teaches Sacred scriptures and Biblical hermeneutics at the Notre Dame Faculty of the Seminary of Paris. Until 2013 she was Professor of Biblical teaching at the European Institute of Religious Sciences (IESR) inside the École Pratique des Hautes Études of Paris.

She has published widely: notable works in the field of hermeneutics and biblical exegesis are “Lectures du Cantique des Cantiques. De l’enigme du sens aux figures du lecteur” 1989, “Lectures bibliques. Aux sources de la culture occidentale” 1995 , translated in Italian language by the Dehoniane Publishing Company with the title “La Bibbia e l’Occidente”; “D'age en age les Ecritures. La Bible et l'hermeneutique contemporaine” 2004; “Le livre d'Isaie, l'histoire au prisme de la prophetie” 2008. With regard to the theme of women in Christianity, she has written two books: “Le christianisme et les femmes. Vingt siecles d'histoire”, in 2001, translated in Italian by Jaca Book with the title Il Cristianesimo e le donne, and “Le signe de la femme” in 2007.

Pelletier is a distinguished figure in contemporary French Catholicism, with deserved scientific prestige, a great and versatile cultural liveliness and an authentic dedication to causes of the highest importance for Christian witness in society.

(from the presentation by Cardinal Ruini)

WALDEMAR CHROSTOWSKI

DSC00307

Msgr. Waldemar Chrostowski was born on 1st February 1951 in Chrostowo, Poland. He was ordained priest in 1976, for the Archdiocese of Warsaw.In 1986 he earned a Ph.D in Teology at the Academy of Warsaw. Then, in 1996, he obtained a teaching in Theology in the field of Biblical Sciences. In 2013 he was honoured with the title of University Professor by the President of the Polish Republic.

Msgr. Chrostowski is chief editor of the Polish theology magazine Collectanea Theologica and he takes part to the Scientific Committee of other magazines. From 2004 he is the head of the Polish Association of Biblicists. His scientific and didactic production is very rich and includes his dissertation “Prophets before history. The interpretation of the story of Israel in Ezekiel 16, 20 and 23 and their reinterpretation in the Bible of the Seventies”, published in 1991, the two volumes of “The Garden of Eden – known testimony of the Assyrian diaspora” published in 1996 and “Assyrian diaspora of the Israelites” 2003, along with the two books “God, Bible, Messiah”2006, and “The Church, Jews, Poland” 2009.

Msgr. Chrostowski has always fostered the popularization of the Bible through spiritual exercises, training courses and pilgrimages. He combines scientific rigour with passion for the Word of God, service to the Church and engagement in interreligious dialogue”. He is the first Polish that received the Ratzinger Prize.

(from the presentation by Cardinal Ruini)

Premio-Ratzinger-2014-3
Premio-Ratzinger-2014-1
Premio-Ratzinger-2014-2
Premio-Ratzinger-2014-5
Premio-Ratzinger-2014-4