Former Ratzinger students plan annual meeting

August 27, 2015

The Ratzinger Schülerkreis, the annual seminar for former students of Pope-emeritus Benedict, will meet August 28 to 30 to discuss modern man’s search for God.

The schülerkreis was formed in 1978, after Professor Ratzinger, who had been teaching at the University of Regensburg, was appointed Archbishop of Munich. The future Pontiff continued to gather this former students each year. He was an active participant in the annual seminars until his resignation in 2013; since that time he has not joined in the discussions, but has suggested topics and has celebrated Mass for the group each year.

Father Stephan Horn, who was an assistant to Professor Ratzinger in Regensburg and now organizes the annual meeting, told the Catholic News Agency that Pope-emeritus Benedict sees this year’s topic as the central question facing our age. Father Horn said that the former Pontiff sees “a faith in the progress of man which he deems to be an ideology,” and contrasts that ideology with the reality that “the center of history is the living God who opened himself in Jesus Christ, and true progress is found in faith.”

About 40 former students are expected to attend this year’s meeting, along with a number of younger scholar who have taken a special interest in the theological writings of the former Pontiff. The seminar will open with a presentation by Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn—himself a former Ratzinger student. The invited guests will include Maronite Catholic Patriarch Bechara Rai and the Czech scholar Tomas Halik, the 2014 winner of the Templeton Prize. The meeting will be held in Castel Gandolfo.

 

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Further information:

• The modern world's biggest challenge, according to Benedict XVI (CNA)
• Kardinal Schönborn eröffnet Ratzinger-Schülerkreis (Vatican Radio)