(ZENIT News / Rome, 11. 26. 2025).- The Scientific Committee and the Board of Directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announced that Pope Leo XIV approved the awarding of the 2025 Ratzinger Prize to Maestro Riccardo Muti.
The award ceremony, presided over by Leo XIV, will take place on the afternoon of December 12, during the Christmas Concert conducted by Maestro Muti himself in Paul VI Hall.
The immense value of Maestro Muti’s art is universally recognized, and Benedict XVI was also considered a sincere admirer. For his part, the Maestro reciprocated this esteem with repeated personal displays of attention and affection, even when Pope Benedict XVI, after his resignation, was at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.
Maestro Muti expressed his gratitude for the award with these meaningful words: «I have always followed and deeply admired Pope Benedict XVI, whose thoughts, reflections, and meditations have been and will be a source of inspiration for men and women of goodwill. My wife and I treasure [our] last private meeting with Benedict as a memory filled with faith and hope.»
The “Ratzinger Prize”, established in 2011, is awarded annually, with the Pope’s approval and upon the recommendation of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee, to eminent figures in the fields of Christian-inspired culture and art. Among the illustrious recipients to date are theologians, biblical scholars, philosophers, jurists, and artists from various Continents and religious denominations.
As is well known, in the artistic sphere, Benedict XVI personally appreciated and practiced music, and had the opportunity to meet and spend time with Maestro Muti. In addition to recognizing the honouree’s outstanding career, this celebration will be an opportunity to remember with gratitude and emotion his personal friendship and his cultural and spiritual understanding with the unforgettable Pope Benedict.
