September 22, 2026 – United Yam

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Notre Dame theologian John Cavadini to receive 2026 Ratzinger Prize – #Catholic – John Cavadini, a professor of patristic theology at the University of Notre Dame, will receive the 2026 Ratzinger Prize.The Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI announced Cavadini as the winner of the prestigious award at a press briefing in Rome on Sept. 22. The foundation also said Pope Leo XIV will present the award to Cavadini on Dec. 19 at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.Present to announce the winner on Sept. 22 at the Holy See Press Office were Father Roberto Regoli, president of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, and Pierluca Azzaro, secretary of the foundation.Cavadini will also be the third faculty member from the University of Notre Dame to receive the award, following Cyril O’Regan (2024) and Jesuit Father Brian E. Daley (2012). Since the award was established in 2011, the university has had the most winners of any institution.In a press release from the foundation, Cavadini expressed gratitude for the award, saying he sought to conduct his theology “as a man of the Church and, at the same time, as a man of academia.”The unique contributions of American theologiansCavadini has been affiliated with the University of Notre Dame since joining its faculty of theology in 1990. He also served as the director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life from 2000–2026.His research and teaching have focused on the theology of St. Augustine, an influential figure of the patristic era.Regoli praised Cavadini’s work for the “rigor of his theologicalpublications, his commitment and zeal in university teaching.” Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines of Tuesday’s press conference, he noted the unique contributions of theologians hailing from the United States. Father Roberto Regoli, president of the Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, speaks to EWTN News at the Holy See Press Office in Rome on Sept. 22, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News “Undoubtedly, the cultural debates in the United States of America do not concern only America; they are followed around the rest of the world,” Regoli told EWTN News. “Our cultural traditions have been more influenced by the thought of the United States of America, and for this reason it is important to look toward the Anglo-Saxon world, because in the different fields of science it has taken on a leadership role for several decades.”The renewed interest in the theology of Joseph RatzingerThe 2026 Ratzinger Prize is part of numerous initiatives to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger, who was later elected Pope Benedict XVI, in 2027. Pope Benedict XVI. | Credit: L’Osservatore Romano Regoli also noted the renewed academic interest worldwide in Ratzinger’s life and theological legacy ahead of the anniversary year.“The legacy of Ratzinger speaks for itself,” Regoli told journalists on the sidelines.“If we look around us at an international level, even in recent years, Ratzinger chairs have been born everywhere: in Europe, in the United States, in Latin America, and in Africa. Many doctoral theses on him, books on him, or his books continue to be edited; they are numerous, and even for the centenary, many more will come out,” Regoli added.One of the foundation’s focuses during the anniversary year will be Ratzinger’s legacy in Africa, with Azzaro telling EWTN News that, as pope, Ratzinger “strongly believed that Africa had the spiritual reserves necessary for the West to flourish again.”

Pope Leo XIV, in France, will bring Catholic social teaching to a secular Europe – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV flies to France on Friday, where across four days in three cities he will proclaim Catholic teaching to the heart of secular Europe on matters that include end-of-life questions, immigration, and artificial intelligence.The visit “will truly be a moment in which Leo’s project of making the Church’s social doctrine better known can take shape,” said Father Patrick Valdrini, a former rector of the Institut Catholique de Paris.France is statistically more secular than it was in 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI made a pastoral visit to the country. The latest data on religious identity in France, in 2019-2020, found that 51% of adults in France say they have no religious affiliation, an 8% increase from a decade before. While 29% of the population identifies as Catholic, the survey found only 8% say they go to Church regularly, according to the Institut National D’Etudes Démographiques.Yet according to Cyprien Viet, a journalist with the French agency I.Media, the country has become more open to Catholicism in recent years. The reasons for this shift include sympathy for Christianity following attacks on churches and the 2016 killing by Islamist terrorists of Father Jacques Hamel, enhanced appreciation for France’s Christian heritage after the 2019 burning of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and gratitude for the Church’s charitable service during the COVID-19 pandemic.More recently, “Pope Leo’s encyclical on artificial intelligence [Magnifica Humanitas] has had a fairly strong impact in France, and people recognize that there is a need to explore these issues more deeply. The pope is helping greatly in providing points of reference,” Viet said.The challenge of laïcitéDuring his Sept. 25–28 visits to Paris, Lourdes, and Metz, Leo’s approach to sharing the Catholic Church’s teaching on political and social issues will draw wide attention, not least because of France’s tradition of “laïcité,” a strict legal separation of Church and state.This policy has always involved a certain distrust, even hostility, toward the idea that faith can contribute something good to society, Valdrini said.“The concept of ‘laïcité’ emerged especially during the French Revolution, rooted in the view that religion hinders freedom and reason, that it is something burdensome rather than liberating,” he said.Among the most sensitive issues that the pope is expected to address are end-of-life questions. France legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia this summer, becoming the fifth European country to do so after Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain. In addition, Switzerland and Austria permit assisted suicide. Euthanasia is the intentional ending of a person’s life to relieve suffering. It differs from assisted dying, in which the patient takes life-ending drugs himself, under a physician’s guidance. Both practices are prohibited by Catholic teaching. Francis X. Rocca, Vatican editor of EWTN News, interviews Charles Personnaz, French ambassador to the Holy See, at his offices in Rome on Sept. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News Charles Personnaz, France’s ambassador to the Holy See, says he expects the pope to speak out on the issue but to leave the political debate to the French bishops, who were already outspoken in their vigorous condemnation of the euthanasia bill before it passed in July.“I think the pope will certainly repeat what is the Catholic doctrine: the preservation of life from the beginning to … the natural end,” the ambassador said. “But he will also leave to … the French Catholic Church the debate with the political parties in France and the institutions. That is the subsidiarity that is at the heart of Catholic doctrine as well.”A message about human dignityOn a visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Leo is expected to deliver a message about the inherent dignity of every human person, even when suffering from illness or disability.Meeting and praying with the sick and vulnerable at one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world, the Holy Father will give a concrete sign of faith in the value of every human life.At the shrine he will also meet privately with victims of abuse in the Catholic Church in France and with the country’s bishops. The Massabielle Grotto in Lourdes, France. | Credit: Christian Pablo Inglize/Shutterstock Leo is expected to address the global challenges posed by artificial intelligence when he speaks at the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, in Paris on Sept. 25. On his last day, he will reflect on interreligious dialogue and the future of Europe at meetings in Metz.The pope’s visit to a migrant integration center run by the Archdiocese of Paris will touch on one of the most volatile political issues in Europe and beyond, and one closely tied to next year’s presidential election in France, in which the anti-immigration politician Marine Le Pen is the current frontrunner.Personnaz said he expects the pope’s comments on immigration to be well received, calling the pontiff’s previous statements on the topic “very balanced” with a focus on the responsibility of nations to help people stay in their homeland.State visit or apostolic journey?Pope Francis visited France three times during his pontificate, but Leo will be making the first state visit by a pope to France since Benedict XVI’s apostolic journey in 2008.The French Catholic newspaper La Croix has reported that the Holy See has refused some requests by the government, including a proposal that President Emmanuel Macron accompany the pontiff into Notre-Dame Cathedral for a prayer service on Sept. 25. The Holy See Press Office and the Élysée Palace, the official residence and office of the French president, did not respond to requests for comment on the report. Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. | Credit: Mistervlad/Shutterstock According to Valdrini, Leo is following in the tradition of St. Paul VI, who sought to emphasize the pastoral character of his travel — the visit to a local Church by the successor of Peter — rather than his role as a head of state.“It will still be a state visit, and there will be official ceremonies, but it is clear that the pope wanted to emphasize, as previous popes did, this [apostolic] dimension of the journey,” Valdrini said.Catholicism growsDespite a lack of religious practice in France, enthusiasm for Pope Leo’s visit is high, as demonstrated by the response to his events with the public in France’s capital.Adolescents and young adults have snapped up tickets for a prayer vigil in the 81,000-seat Stade de France and an open-air Mass in Place de la Concorde. Paris’ largest public square may draw some of the biggest crowds of his pontificate thus far, with 600,000 people expected to fill the square and a nearly two-mile stretch of avenue connecting to the Arc de Triomphe. This enthusiasm is also reflected in an atypical outpouring of donations to the dioceses to cover organizational costs.Leo will address France’s Catholics at a critical juncture in their history, as they welcome rising numbers of converts. He is likely to encourage the nation traditionally known as “the eldest daughter of the Church” to rediscover her Catholic roots.This Easter, France recorded more than 20,000 adult and adolescent baptisms, a 20% increase from the already record-high number in 2025, which saw a 45% increase from 2024 figures.The phenomenon has prompted the bishops of Île de France, the ecclesiastical region that includes the Archdiocese of Paris, to convene a special council on how to respond to the huge influx of Catholic converts.“Today people have not inherited their faith … and so they are kind of ignorant about the Catholic heritage,” Personnaz said. “But when they discover it, they have no prejudices about it. And in a world where the youth are searching for a sense to [their] life, the Catholic proposal remains very interesting.”Francis X. Rocca and Victoria Cardiel contributed to this report.

Fragments of medieval Gospel of St. Mark-turned-relic reunited after 7 centuries – #Catholic – For the first time in seven centuries, Aquileia, a city in northeastern Italy with a fascinating past, has reunited the three scattered fragments of a sixth-century manuscript that for centuries was venerated as if it were the Gospel written by St. Markʼs own hand.The author of the Gospel that bears his name was St. Peter’s interpreter and secretary. He followed the apostle to Rome, where he witnessed his preaching in the homes of the first followers of Christ, who dared to defy the Roman Empire’s laws governing worship.St. Mark carefully recorded every courageous word of that early catechesis, and his notes became a firsthand source for the story of Jesus’ life.Today, Aquileia, a small town of just over 3,000 inhabitants, treasures St. Mark’s memory as the founder of one of the most flourishing Christian communities of the Middle Ages.

The Basilica of Aquileia, home to the largest and best preserved early Christian mosaic in the Western world. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Tseng Kuang Yi

After the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313, the city, situated at the crossroads of East and West and serving as a bridge between the Mediterranean world and Slavic culture, became a center for the spread of Christianity into Central Europe and the Balkans.By the fifth century, it had even been honored with the title of apostolic city, and its bishop held the rank of patriarch. That privilege was reserved only for dioceses that traced their origins to the preaching of an apostle.“We preserve extraordinary medieval frescoes in the basilica depicting St. Mark arriving here to found the city’s first Christian community. That is why we believe he truly came to Aquileia,” Aquileia tour guide Anna Sairu told “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.The codex that became a relicOne of the principal witnesses to this tradition is the “Codex Forojuliensis,” also known as the “Cividale Gospel Book.” The sixth-century manuscript, written in uncial script, the calligraphy reserved for sacred texts, originally contained all four Gospels in St. Jerome’s Latin translation.Scholars believe it was most likely produced in Ravenna, Italy. From there it arrived in Aquileia during the second half of the ninth century, where it was authenticated by the signature of Theodemar, patriarch of Aquileia.The presence of the codex strengthened the tradition linking St. Mark to the evangelization of the region. Its significance became so great that in 827 the Synod of Mantua recognized Aquileia’s ecclesiastical supremacy over Grado.Venice looked with suspicion on the growing religious prestige of its neighbor. Just a year later, in 828, Venetian merchants brought the relics attributed to the evangelist from Alexandria to the city on the lagoon. In doing so, “The Most Serene Republic” of Venice gained a patron of apostolic rank and strengthened the religious and political foundations of its power.

Basilica of Aquileia, home to the largest and best preserved early Christian mosaic in the Western world. | Credit: Courtesy of Tseng Kuang Yi

The fragmented GospelBetween the 12th and 13th centuries, the seven quires — folded sheets of paper stitched into booklets — containing the Gospel of Mark were separated from the rest of the codex, rebound independently, and covered with an elaborate gilded silver binding that transformed the book into an object of veneration resembling a reliquary.From that point on, the manuscript ceased to be viewed as merely an ancient copy and began to be regarded as an autograph written by St. Mark himself. Medieval inventories of the Patriarchal Treasury of Aquileia reflect this belief.“The Gospel was fragmented when it was removed from the Gospel book containing all four Gospels and began to be regarded as an autograph of the evangelist himself. This is connected to the tradition that St. Mark evangelized this region of Italy, Aquileia, and its surrounding territory. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Gospel of Mark acquired a life of its own and came to be regarded as an extraordinary relic,” Cristiano Tiussi, director of the Aquileia Foundation and curator of the exhibition, told “EWTN Noticias.”The emperor who wanted a piece of St. MarkThe fame of the supposed authentic Gospel of St. Mark quickly spread across Europe. In 1354, while traveling to Rome to receive the imperial crown, Charles IV of Luxembourg stopped in Aquileia. At the time, his half-brother, Nicholas of Luxembourg, served as patriarch there.

Gilded silver cover that helped transform the medieval Codex of the Gospel of St. Mark into an object of veneration similar to a reliquary. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

The emperor requested part of the revered manuscript and received two of the seven quires that comprised the Gospel of Mark. Those pages were taken to Prague, where they were deposited in St. Vitus Cathedral alongside the relics of St. Wenceslaus. Over the centuries, they became the oldest written document preserved in Czech libraries.The exhibition even displays the original documents recording Charles IV’s request to the patriarch of Aquileia.“Possessing part of the Gospel of St. Mark meant owning not only a religious relic but also a symbol of prestige, legitimacy, and power,” Tiussi noted.The conquest of VeniceThe remainder of the manuscript remained in Aquileia until May 30, 1420, when Doge Tommaso Mocenigo conquered the city. Venice then claimed the remaining fragments, arguing that they belonged beside the evangelist’s tomb in the Basilica of St. Mark.Their transfer symbolized Aquileia’s definitive incorporation into the Venetian sphere.The gesture also carried an unmistakable political significance. If Venice had claimed custody of the evangelist’s body since 828, it now also acquired part of the manuscript believed by tradition to have been written by his hand.As a result, the Gospel of Mark became permanently divided among the cities of Cividale del Friuli, Venice, and Prague.For the manuscript itself, however, the consequences proved devastating. Humidity from the Venetian lagoon gradually damaged the pages until they became almost illegible. Today, those remnants are preserved in a reliquary display case within the Treasury of St. Mark.

One of the fragments of the sixth-century manuscript venerated as a relic, attributed to the authorship of the Evangelist St. Mark. | Credit: Courtesy of Tseng Kuang Yi

A medieval FacebookThe exhibition offers visitors a second surprise. Before it was dismantled, the manuscript served as a “Liber Vitae,” or “Book of the Living.” More than 1,500 names were entered into its pages by people who wished to be remembered in the prayers of the monastic community that safeguarded the codex.“This is one of the features that makes this Gospel book exceptional. In Italy, we know of only two Carolingian-era ‘libri vitae.’ This is one of them. These inscriptions, written in a hand different from the original uncial script, were initially simple liturgical annotations. They are notes written on the Gospel between the seventh and eighth centuries indicating which passages should be read during particular periods of the year or providing other instructions for the book’s liturgical use,” said Luca Villa, another curator of the exhibition.Beginning in the second half of the ninth century, the names of benefactors, nobles, pilgrims, and distinguished visitors were added.Among them were figures as notable as Emperor Louis II the Younger and his wife Engelberga, the Moravian prince Svatopluk, and envoys from the newly Christianized Kingdom of Bulgaria.“There are more than 1,500 important figures who wrote their names in the Gospel, not merely to leave a record of themselves but because they believed that by doing so they would share in the liturgical celebrations every time the book was used in the church where it was kept,” Villa told “EWTN Noticias.”For historians, these lists provide an extraordinary window into medieval Europe. They reveal a network of contacts, pilgrimages, and cultural exchanges linking distant regions centuries before the emergence of modern nation-states.A European storyNow, for the first time in roughly 700 years, the three surviving portions of the Gospel have been reunited.

Fresco of St. Mark in the Basilica of Aquileia. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

The quires preserved in Prague have left the Czech Republic for the first time. The fragments kept in Venice have temporarily departed St. Mark’s Basilica. Together with the pages preserved in Friuli, they reconstruct a story that had remained fragmented since the Middle Ages.Czech curator Martina Dlabajová said she believes the reunion also symbolizes the very essence of Europe.“What is beautiful is that, while acknowledging that each fragment has had a different history and followed a different path, by bringing them together we have chosen to embrace that shared history. That is why the exhibition’s title speaks of ‘Seven Centuries, Three Fragments, One European Story,’ because the three fragments never ceased to be part of a common narrative, and that narrative is a European one,” she explained.“I also like to emphasize that Europe itself should recognize differences, accept that distinct histories exist, and understand that those different histories from various countries enrich our shared history,” she added in comments to “EWTN Noticias.”

An information booklet for the exhibit “The Gospel of Mark: Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story,” open to visitors until April 25, 2027. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Tseng Kuang Yi

The exhibition, “The Gospel of Mark: Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story,” will remain open through April 2027. Due to the fragility of the parchment, however, restrictions are necessary. The original manuscripts will be on display only during the exhibition’s first six weeks. They will then be replaced by high-resolution digital reproductions.This report was made possible thanks to the support of the Aquileia Foundation.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

unitedyam September 22, 2026September 22, 2026

The exhibition, “The Gospel of Mark: Seven Centuries. Three Fragments. One European Story,” has made it possible to view the original sixth-century manuscripts once venerated as relics.

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