The Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI has launched a broad international program of initiatives on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of the Pope Emeritus, which will be celebrated on April 16, 2027.
The plan includes more than a dozen events throughout 2026, distributed across four continents, with the aim of commemorating and delving deeper into the figure and thought of Joseph Ratzinger.
A global program coordinated from the Vatican
The activities are coordinated by an International Committee for the Centenary Celebrations, created within the Ratzinger Foundation itself.
The meetings will take place in various European countries—such as Italy, Austria, France, Spain, and Hungary—as well as in India, Colombia, the United States, and Kenya, reflecting the international reach of the German pontiff’s theological legacy.
As explained by Father Roberto Regoli, president of the Foundation and the organizing committee, the centenary seeks to offer a comprehensive vision of Benedict XVI’s thought and his contribution to the contemporary ecclesial and cultural debate.
Start in Rome and events throughout 2026
The program will be inaugurated on April 16, 2026, at the Embassy of Italy to the Holy See, with the presentation of the fourth volume of the Selected Texts of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI, titled The Faith of the Future. The Future of the Church.
Throughout the year, conferences, colloquia, and academic symposia will be held in various cities. Among them stand out a colloquium of bishops and theologians in Bangalore (India), an international conference in Bogotá organized by La Sabana University, and several academic meetings in Vienna, Budapest, and Paris.
In Spain, the city of Almería will host at the end of October an international conference dedicated to the liturgy, along with the inauguration of a statue in honor of Benedict XVI.
Closing in Africa and awarding of the Ratzinger Prize
The 2026 calendar will conclude with the Foundation’s annual international symposium, which will be held from November 18 to 21 at Tangaza University in Nairobi (Kenya), focused on the relationship between Africa and the renewal of the Church in the vision of Benedict XVI.
The programming will culminate in December with the awarding ceremony of the Ratzinger Prize, whose exact date is yet to be determined.
The activities planned for 2027, the year in which the centenary of Joseph Ratzinger’s birth will be celebrated, will be announced in the coming months.