Pordenone, Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art (February 21 – April 12, 2026)
Exhibition "Remembering Benedict XVI. Towards the Centenary of His Birth"
The exhibition "Remembering Benedict XVI. Towards the Centenary of His Birth" will be open from February 21 to April 12, 2026, at the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Pordenone. Organized by the Odoriciani Study Center and the Pordenone Events Association, it enjoys the scientific partnership of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation and is sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone.
The exhibition aims to guide visitors through the life and work of the theologian Pope, as the centenary of his birth (April 16, 2027) approaches. It features a series of objects and furnishings that belonged to him, papal vestments and liturgical vestments, photographs, and works of art.
Visitors will be able to appreciate some of the objects that accompanied Cardinal Ratzinger when he stayed in Piazza della Città Leonina, Rome, during the nearly twenty-three years he spent as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. These include the holy water stoups—one for each room—or the statuettes depicting the Madonna Patrona Bavariae, the bronze bear symbolizing Bavaria, and a delightful ceramic cat, all of which bear witness to a simple, familiar daily life, but above all to his very close bond with his native land.
There is no shortage of clothing from the period of his pontificate, such as a white cassock, a red velvet mozzetta trimmed with ermine, and red shoes. Almost all of the exhibits come from the Ratzinger Foundation or the Ratzinger Study Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Two chalices donated by Benedict XVI during his pastoral visits also come from the Parish of Saints Ermacora and Fortunato in Aquileia and the Basilica of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The exhibition is enriched by a selection of photographs spanning the entire life of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, accompanying panels recounting his life, as well as a photographic focus on Benedict XVI's visit to Aquileia and Venice on May 7 and 8, 2011. The screening of the documentary "Benedict XVI, the Hour of Truth," produced by the Rome Reports television agency, in collaboration with TV2000 and the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, also allows visitors to relive the life and pontificate of Pope Benedict.
Art is also featured, described by Benedict XVI as a "gateway to the Infinite," "capable of expressing and making visible the human need to go beyond what is visible." This includes several bronze works by the German artist Christine Stadler (1922-2011), much admired by Ratzinger, who also commissioned two sculptures from her for the garden of his birthplace in Pentling. But as a tribute to Ratzinger's artistic sensibility, works by Friulians Alberto Pasqual and Stefano Jus, Rimini's Davide Frisoni, and China's Zhou Zhiwei are also on display.
As for the choice of Pordenone, as Sandro Sandrin, president of Associazione Eventi, recalled, it is no coincidence: "In 2007, with the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, we presented the first volume of Joseph Ratzinger's trilogy dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth. This marked the beginning of our series "Listening, Reading, Growing," which will reach its twentieth edition in 2026. This exhibition—which we are honored to organize—is therefore the culmination of a long shared journey."
Admission to the exhibition is free. For information and guided tours, please write to info@euro.eventi.it
The exhibition project is enriched by a series of collateral events, promoted in collaboration with the Theological Faculty of Triveneto, including the conference "Europe in the Vision of Joseph Ratzinger: Spiritual Identity, Historical Mission, and Current Challenges," with presentations by Monsignor Giampaolo Crepaldi, Senator Marcello Pera, and Professor Giovanni Maria Vian (Saturday, February 28, 10:00 a.m., Auditorium Curia Vescovile, Pordenone); the presentation of the book by Vatican expert Giovanna Chirri, Joseph Ratzinger. Fragments of Humanity (Ancora) (Saturday, February 28, 2026, 5:00 p.m., Tiezzo di Azzano Decimo). The exhibition will close with the "Concert for the Centenary of Benedict XVI" (Saturday, April 11, 6:00 pm, Palazzo Montereale-Mantica, Pordenone), featuring the Venethos Ensamble string quartet and pianist Francesco Lovato performing music by W. A. Mozart, Ratzinger's favorite composer.
The exhibition is supported by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Friuli Foundation, the Municipality of Pordenone, and with the support of Cafc - Acque del Friuli, ATAP, gsm - gestione servizi mobilità spa, Setten, BCC Pordenonese e Monsile, Grimel, and Theke.