Scottish Catholic Observer

Cardinal Camillo Ruini (above left), president of the foundation’s academic committee, announced the names of the prize winners: Manlio Simonetti, Italian layman and scholar of ancient Christian literature and Patrology; Olegario Gonzalez de Cardedal, Spanish priest and professor of systematic theology, and Maximilian Heim, German Cistercian, abbot of the monastery of Heiligenkreuz in Austria and professor of fundamental and dogmatic theology.

Pope Benedict  XVI ordered the creation of the foundation on March 1 last year, in order to respond to a desire expressed by many scholars over the course of the years. One of the tasks of the academic committee is to establish criteria of excellence for the creation and conferral of prizes to scholars who have distinguished themselves in academic publications and/or research.