Vatican Announces Winner of the “Nobel Prize in Theology”: The 2026 Ratzinger Prize

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 09.22.2026).- 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».

 

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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.

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.

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