Madrid, Spain, Sep 20, 2024 / 08:00 am
For the first time, a sculptor and native of Japan will be awarded the Ratzinger Prize.
His name is Etsurō Sotoo, born in 1953 in Fukuoka, Japan, and a graduate of Kyoto University.
A 1978 visit to Spain changed the course of his life forever.
Arriving in the city of Barcelona, he was impressed by the construction of the Sagrada Familia basilica and asked to work there as a sculptor.
Following instructions left by Antoni Gaudí, the renowned Spanish architect of the monument, still under construction, Sotoo began his work on the basilica’s Nativity façade.
During his stay in Barcelona, Sotoo converted to Catholicism and received the sacrament of baptism.
Sotoo is an enthusiastic advocate of the cause of canonization of Gaudí, known as “God’s architect.”
Sotoo’s handiwork is found in various parts of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia and in other places in Spain as well as in Japan and Italy, in the Cathedral of Florence.
Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the Sagrada Familia basilica during a trip to Barcelona in 2010, expressing his great appreciation for the figure and art of Gaudí.
Cyril O’Regan
Irish theologian Cyril O’Regan is also a winner of the 2024 Ratzinger Prize.
Since 1999, he has been a professor of systematic theology in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
He studied philosophy in Ireland and earned a doctorate, also earning another doctorate in theology at Yale University in Connecticut.
O’Regan is the author of numerous articles and several books, including “The Heterodox Hegel” (1994), “Gnostic Return in Modernity” (2001), “Theology and the Spaces of Apocalyptic” (2009), “Anatomy of Misremembering” (2014), and “Newman and Ratzinger” (publication in progress).
His lectures are highly appreciated by his students, and he has dedicated several relevant articles to the figure and teachings of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).
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“I am delighted and also feel incredibly honored given the caliber of scholars and thinkers who have received it before me,” O’Regan said of the recognition.
Nov. 22 award ceremony and Mass
On Friday, Nov. 22, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, is scheduled to present the prize to both O’Regan and Sotoo.
The ceremony will take place in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace. That same morning, a Mass will be celebrated in memory of Pope Benedict XVI at his tomb in the Vatican Grottoes. The two winners will be received by Pope Francis.
What is the Ratzinger Prize?
The Ratzinger Prize was started in 2011 to recognize scholars whose work demonstrates a significant contribution to theology in the spirit of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Bavarian theologian who became Pope Benedict XVI.
The awardees are chosen by Pope Francis based on the recommendations of a committee made up of five cardinals who are members of the Roman Curia.
It is currently made up of Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, president of the Pope Benedict XVI Institute.
With the 2024 edition, the total number of Ratzinger Prize winners ascends to 30. These are mainly eminent personalities in the studies of dogmatic or fundamental theology, sacred Scripture, patristics, philosophy, law, sociology, or in artistic activity such as music, architecture, and now sculpture.
The winners, who hail from 18 different countries on five continents, are not only Catholics but also belong to other faith traditions, such as Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Judaism.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
