Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI: A Centenary Celebration

In June 2027, St Mary’s University will host an international conference to mark the centenary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), one of the most influential Catholic theologians of our time.

Over more than six decades, Joseph Ratzinger made significant contributions to a wide range of theological disciplines, including biblical interpretation, Christology, ecclesiology, liturgy and sacramental theology, fundamental theology, and eschatology. His work was marked by a sustained engagement with the Christian theological tradition and with the intellectual and cultural challenges of the modern world. As a theological adviser at the Second Vatican Council and subsequently as a theologian, bishop and pope, he played a significant role in the Council’s reception and interpretation.

The conference seeks to explore the richness and significance of his theological legacy, bringing together established scholars and emerging researchers from around the world. It will provide an opportunity for critical engagement with his thought, its intellectual and historical sources, its reception, and its relevance for contemporary theology and the life and mission of the Church.

The conference has a particular resonance for St Mary’s University, which Pope Benedict XVI visited during his historic Apostolic Visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010. The centenary offers an opportunity to revisit his theological vision and to consider its enduring significance for the relationship between faith, reason and culture. The conference is held under the patronage of the Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. 

Provisional Programme

Wednesday 23 June 2027

5.30pm
Opening Mass
University Chapel

Principal Celebrant and Preacher:
Archbishop Richard Moth
Archbishop of Westminster and Chancellor of St Mary’s University

7.00pm
Public Lecture
Professor Tracey Rowland

8.30pm
Reception

Thursday 24 June 2027

9.00am – 1.00pm
Keynote Lecture

Professor Helmut Hoping, University of Freiburg, Germany
Eschatology and Apocalypticism in Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Apocalyptic “Theology”

Contributed Paper Sessions

1.00pm Lunch

2.00pm – 6.00pm
Keynote Lecture II

Professor Isabel C. Troconis, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy
Ontology and History in Joseph Ratzinger’s Theology: An Ecclesiological Perspective
(provisional title)

Round Table: Modern Thought Baptized

Chaired by Professor Jacob Phillips, Chaired by St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London

Doctoral Researchers’ Sessions

Friday 25 June 2027

9.00am – 1.00pm 
Keynote Lecture III

Professor Maurice Ashley Agbaw Ebai, Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome, Italy
Joseph Ratzinger in an African Context: Logos, Culture and Inculturation
(provisional title)

Contributed Paper Session

1.00pm Lunch

2.00pm – 6.00pm
Keynote Lecture IV

Professor Pablo Blanco Sarto, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
Reason, Christianity and Controversy: The Regensburg Address of Benedict XVI

Contributed Paper Sessions