This 2022 conference hosted at Franciscan University of Steubenville explored “Joseph Ratzinger’s Vision of the Church and Its Relevance for Contemporary Challenges.”
Theologians from around the world discussed themes including culture, church and state, history, eschatology, synodality, the liturgy, Scripture, ecumenism, evangelization, the role of women, and more.
The Church as Communio in the Theological Vision of Ratzinger
Kurt Cardinal Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, talks about the Church as communio in Joseph Ratzinger’s theological vision for the 2022 Conference of the Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI Foundation at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Father Achim Buckenmaier, Teologia del popolo di Dio, then provides a response.
Ratzinger’s Ecclesiology in Its Wider Theological Context
Dr. Tracey Rowland, theologian and professor at University of Notre Dame Australia, speaks about Joseph Ratzinger’s ecclesiology and its larger, theological impact. Deputy Director of the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI Christian Schaller provides a response.
Joseph Ratzinger’s Vision of the Church and Ecumenism
Dr. Michael Root, professor at the Catholic University of America, talks about Joseph Ratzinger’s vision of the Church and ecumenism. Dr. Christian Washburn, professor at the University of St. Thomas and St. Paul Seminary, then responds.
Scripture and Evangelization in Ratzinger’s Vision of the Church
Dr. Michael Waldstein, theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, speaks about evangelization and Scripture in Joseph Ratzinger’s vision of the Catholic Church. Dr. William Wright, IV, professor at Duquesne University, provides a response.
The Way Forward: Contemporary Challenges and Issues
Bishop Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau, Germany, discusses the “fiat” of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the future of the Church at the 2022 Conference of the Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI Foundation at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
This 2022 academic conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville commemorated the 60th anniversary of the October 11, 1962, opening of the Second Vatican Council.
Scholars explored the major teachings of the council, controversies arising from its misinterpretations or false applications, development in the role of women in the Church, and liturgical renewal and reform.
Presenter: Dr. Alan Schreck
Dr. Alan Schreck has been a professor of theology at Franciscan University since 1978. He specializes in Church history and renewal, Catholic doctrine and apologetics, pneumatology, ecclesiology, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Pope St. John Paul II. He’s authored many books including Vatican II: The Crisis and the Promise.
Presenter: Dr. Ralph Martin
Dr. Ralph Martin is a professor of theology and director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He is president of Renewal Ministries, and his books include What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization.
Presenters: Father Patrick Whittle, TOR, and Dr. Deborah Savage
Father Patrick Whittle, TOR, is director of Post-Novitiate Formation for the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and received a doctorate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of America.
Dr. Deborah Savage is a professor of theology at Franciscan University. She is also co-founder and acting director of the Siena Symposium for Women, Family, and Culture, an interdisciplinary think tank, organized to respond to Pope St. John II’s call for a new and explicitly Christian feminism.