2026 RATZINGER PRIZE:

Prof. John C. Cavadini (University of Notre Dame, IN)

●       The Prize will be awarded by the Holy Father Leo XIV on 19 December at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

●       The Prize is awarded to scholars who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in publication and scientific research.

●       Nominations for the Prize are submitted to the Holy Father, for his approval, by the Foundation’s Scientific Committee.

●       John C. Cavadini is a professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, specialising in Patristic Theology, with a particular focus on the theology of St Augustine.

Vatican City, 22 September 2026 – The Ratzinger Prize returns to the United States. The winner of the 2026 edition, selected by the Scientific Committee of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI and approved by Pope Leo XIV, is John C. Cavadini, Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana), where he also served as Director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Cavadini teaches, conducts research and publishes in the field of patristic theology, with a particular focus on the theology of St Augustine. The Prize will be presented by the Holy Father on 19 December 2026 at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

Commenting on the award, the President of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI, Prof. Roberto Regoli, stated: «Prof. Cavadini is highly regarded for the rigour of his theological publications, his commitment and zeal in university teaching, his academic expertise, his pastoral passion and his lifelong service to the Church».

Professor Cavadini commented: «I have sought to live out my vocation as a theologian following the example of Origen of Alexandria, a third-century theologian, who repeatedly declared that, as a theologian, he wished to be a vir ecclesiasticus, a man of the Church. At Notre Dame, I have been able to live out my vocation as a man of the Church and, at the same time, as a man of academia. I am particularly grateful for this award because it recognises these two aspects of my vocation as a theologian».

Read Prof. Cavadini’s full CV

The Award’s statistics

The Prize has been awarded annually since 2011. By the 2026 edition, the total number of laureates will reach 32. They are primarily eminent figures in the fields of dogmatic or fundamental theology, Sacred Scripture, patrology, philosophy, law and sociology, or in the arts, music, architecture and sculpture.

The laureates come from no fewer than 18 different countries across five continents: Germany (7), France (4), Spain (3), Italy (3), the United States (2), Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Estonia, Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, South Africa and Switzerland.

The award winners are not only Catholics, but also members of other Christian denominations – one Anglican, one Lutheran, two Orthodox – and one is Jewish.

View the Roll of Honour for the Ratzinger Prize

Towards the centenary: three international conferences in November

There are numerous events planned in the run-up to the centenary of Ratzinger’s birth, which began on 16 April. Three international initiatives are scheduled for November, in which the Foundation is directly involved:

-          From 2 to 4 November in the United States, at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, an international Symposium is taking place entitled: Beauty will Save Us: Wonder and Hope in the Works of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI.

-          From 4 to 6 November, organised by the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in collaboration with the publishing group “Word on Fire”, the annual The New Ressourcement conference will take place, entitled: Joseph Ratzinger and his sources.

-          From 18 to 21 November, in Nairobi (Kenya), the Symposium Constellations of Hope: Africa and the Renewal of the Church in the Vision of Benedict XVI will take place in collaboration with Tangaza University and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

«The major international conferences of 2026 highlight Africa and the United States: two continents that can make an equally significant contribution to countering the distortions facing humanity today, as Pope Leo XIV reminds us, following in the footsteps of his predecessors», commented Prof. Pierluca Azzaro, executive secretary of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI.

A fresh approach to communication

The Foundation is revamping its communication strategy with the aim of reaching an ever-wider and more diverse audience. With the help of the communications agency Catholikey, the Foundation’s Newsletter has been launched, and the Foundation’s X and Instagram profiles, as well as its YouTube channel, have been added to the existing Facebook page.

Vatican City, January 27, 2026 – The Statute of the Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation provides for the expiration of the terms of office of all institutional bodies every five years.

Since the previous five-year term ended in 2025, the Secretariat of State, to which the Foundation reports, has provided for their renewal and appropriate changes.

The Foundation's governing bodies are therefore composed as follows:

Board of Directors (appointed by the Secretary of State):

President: Rev. Prof. Roberto Regoli

Members: H.E. Msgr. Georg Gänswein; Rev. Prof. Achim Buckenmaier; Attorney Francesca Bazoli; Dr. Alberto Gasbarri.

Scientific Committee (appointed by the Holy Father):

Cardinal Kurt Koch; Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime; H.E. Msgr. Salvatore Fisichella; H.E. Archbishop Rudolf Voderholzer; His Excellency Archbishop Bruno Forte.

Board of Auditors:

President: Dr. Aurelio Ingrassia (appointed by the Secretariat for the Economy)

Members: Dr. Andrea Filippi; Dr. Giuseppe Mascarucci (appointed by the Secretariat of State)

The following members of the Scientific Committee, Cardinal L. Ladaria and Cardinal G. Ravasi, completed their terms and were thanked for their valuable service; the President of the Board of Directors, Father F. Lombardi; and the members of the Board of Directors, Professors Don G. Costa and Dr. R. Poletti; and the President of the Board of Auditors, Dr. A. Roppo.

Statement from the new President, Rev. Prof. Roberto Regoli

"The Holy Father Leo XIV and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin have reappointed the new presidents of the Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Foundation. I extend my thanks to the Pope and the Secretary of State for their attentive benevolence toward the institution. I personally thank them for the trust they have placed in me, which I intend to reciprocate in the best possible way.

Special thanks to Cardinals Ladaria and Ravasi, who in recent years, with their intelligence and insight, have made a valuable contribution to the pursuit of the Foundation's goals. I extend my gratitude for their dedication to Don Costa, Dr. Poletti, and Dr. Roppo. A heartfelt and particularly significant thank you goes to Father Lombardi, the Foundation's public and serene face, who over the past 10 years has guided the path of institutional initiatives with prudence and confidence. We know he can remain a point of reference for all of us. We hope he will reap in abundance what he has sown.

Looking ahead, my thoughts of gratitude also go to To those who have been reappointed to their roles in the Foundation (Cardinal Koch, Archbishops Gänswein and Fisichella, Bishop Voderholzer, Professor Buckenmaier, Drs. Filippi and Mascarucci) and to those who begin this new service with me (Cardinal Artime, Archbishop Forte, Attorney Dr. Bazoli, Drs. Gasbarri and Ingrassia). We have an exciting five-year period ahead of us. Among our primary commitments will be the celebration of the centenary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger (1927-2027), which we have been preparing for for half a year with the planning of conferences, publications, exhibitions, and concerts that will involve many countries on every continent. The legacy of Ratzinger, theologian and pope, is very much alive, even pastorally, as it is the source and confirmation of many personal journeys of conversion around the world. The vivacity of his thought not only has something to say, but can make a significant contribution. to the theological and cultural debates of our time. My personal commitment is that this voice may continue to resonate, including through the Foundation. I am thinking not only of university classrooms, but also and above all of young people, whom we must help rediscover the beauty of faith, first and foremost, in Christ and in the Church.

Rev. Prof. Roberto Regoli's CV

The Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation rejoices at the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Supreme Pontiff and wishes His Holiness Leo XIV a fruitful ministry in the service of the universal Church and the people of God.