(VIS)
At 11:30 this morning in the John Paul II Hall of the Holy See Press Office, a press
conference was held to present the activities of the "Vatican Foundation: Joseph Ratzinger
- Benedict XVI", in particular, its symposium “The Gospels: History and Christology.
The Research of Joseph Ratzinger”, which will be held at the Pontifical Lateran University
from 24 to 26 October of this year. The names of the candidates selected by its academic
committee for the Foundation's annual prize, which will be conferred on 26 October,
were also announced. Benedict
XVI instituted the Foundation on 1 March, 2010, in response to the desire expressed
by many scholars over the years. One of the areas of competency of the academic committee
is precisely to establish the criteria of excellence for the creation and assignment
of prizes to scholars who have distinguished themselves in the areas of publication
and/or academic research. The Foundation's aim is to place the question of God at
the heart of academic reflection. With the Ratzinger Prize, one of the Foundation's
three main activities, it hopes to call attention to this subject. Its two principal
activities are awarding scholarships to those pursuing doctorates in Theology and
organizing conferences of high academic standard. Speakers at the conference included: Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the
Foundation's academic committee; Archbishop Jean-Louis Brugues, O.P., president of
the symposium's organizing committee; Msgr. Luis Romera, vice president of the symposium's
organizing committee; and Msgr. Giuseppe Scotti, the Foundation's president. The recipients of this year's Ratzinger
Prize are the English Biblical scholar Richard A. Burridge, dean of King's College
London and minister in the Anglican Communion—the first non-Catholic to receive the
award—and the German lay theologian Christian Schaller, professor of Dogmatic Theology
and deputy director of the Pope Benedict XVI Institute of Regensburg, Germany, which
is publishing the complete works of Joseph Ratzinger. “Richard Burridge today,” said Cardinal Ruini, “is definitely
an eminent figure in the field of Biblical studies and not only of the English language.
In particular, he has made a great contribution in that decisive area of the historical
and theological recognition of the Gospels' inseparable connection to Jesus of Nazareth.”
Christian Schaller will also be awarded the Ratzinger Prize, “not only for his contribution
to theological studies but also in recognition of the role he is carrying out in the
publication of Joseph Ratzinger's complete works. This publication is of primary importance
for the future of studies inspired by the thought of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI,
which is the main purpose of our Foundation.” Msgr. Giuseppe Scotti, the Foundation's president, outlined some details regarding
the upcoming symposium to be held at Rome's Pontifical Lateran University. It will
be the Foundation's third conference. The first—“Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace”—was
held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2011. The second—“What Makes Man Man”—was held in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, last year. This
year's symposium, “The Gospels: History and Christology”, starting from Joseph Ratzinger's
research, will focus on the major themes of his trilogy on Jesus of Nazareth and will
last three days. The first day will address the issue of the Jesus of the Gospels,
considering them as texts. After a summary of the historical research on the Jesus
of the New Testament over the last centuries, the contribution of papyrology to the
study of those texts will be analysed along with the definition of the literary genre
of the Gospels in comparison to Greco-Roman biographies and their historical significance.
Professors participating in the first day include: Dr. Bernardo Estrada (Pontifical
University of the Holy Cross, Rome); Dr. Juan Chapa (University of Navarra, Spain);
Dr. Richard Burridge (King's College, London); and Dr. Yves Simoens (Pontifical Biblical
Institute and Gregorian University, Rome). The second day will be dedicated to the figure of Jesus presented in the Gospels
and the theology they contain, also in relation to other New Testament writings. First
the reliability of the Gospel text will be analysed, with the purpose of discovering
who Jesus really was. Then the historical figure that emerges from the Gospels and
Pauline witness will be outlined. Finally, the impact of the Gospels in Early Christianity
and the theology of the Fathers will be examined. Speakers on the second day will
include: Dr. Klaus Berger (University of Heidelberg, Germany); Dr. John P. Meier (University
of Notre Dame, USA); Dr. Antonio Pitta (Pontifical Lateran University, Rome); and
Cardinal Prosper Grech (Pontifical Lateran University and Augustinianum, Rome). Joseph Ratzinger's proposal of “Jesus of
Nazareth” will be the key theme of the third day. Professor Thomas Soding (University
of Bochum, Germany) and Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints, will discuss the importance of Ratzinger's research on exegesis,
theology, and methodology. The symposium will also address two specific areas: the
figure of Jesus in the Gospel passages relating his infancy and the Last Supper. Professors
Dr. Armand Puig I Tarrech (dean of the Theological Faculty of Catalonia, Barcelona)
and Dr. Ermenegildo Manicardi (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome) will coordinate
the presentations of the various experts in these areas. |
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