Joseph Ratzinger Centenary: Call for Papers for the 2027 Theological Conference

The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum is pleased to announce a major theological conference to be held on March 11–12, 2027, marking the centenary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger. The event seeks to honor the intellectual legacy of the late Pope Emeritus by reflecting on two milestones of his thought: the volume Eschatology (on the 50th anniversary of its publication) and the encyclical Spe Salvi (on its 20th anniversary).

Reflecting on Hope and the Future

The conference aims to explore the ongoing relevance of these texts, which open crucial perspectives on the future of humanity—both in an eschatological and an intra-historical sense. The goal is to analyze how Ratzinger’s vision offers concrete responses to contemporary anthropological and cultural challenges.

Call for Papers

We invite professors, researchers, and doctoral students to actively contribute to this reflection. Proposals should foster a dialogue between the two aforementioned works, deepening the theological core themes that demonstrate the continuity, evolution, and timeliness of Joseph Ratzinger’s thought.

Areas of Interest:

• Christology and Eschatology: The role of the Risen Lord as the foundation of Christian hope.

• Judgment, Freedom, and Responsibility: Judgment as a site of justice and mercy; purgatory as a relational and Christological process.

• The Church and Eschatology: The Church as a “place of eschatological anticipation” and a “community of hope.”

• Resurrection of the Body: Ratzinger’s critique of dualism and the reaffirmation of the historical dimension of salvation.

• The “Schools” of Hope: The four settings for learning and practicing hope in Spe Salvi (nos. 32–48): prayer, action, suffering, and judgment.

• Cultural Discernment: A critique of secular hopes and the inner-worldly reductions of eschatology.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals (maximum 500 words), accompanied by a brief CV, may be submitted in English or Italian and should be sent to: ratzinger@upra.org.

Selected authors will be invited to speak during the conference’s parallel sessions (20-minute presentations). Furthermore, accepted contributions will be published in the Studi Ratzingeriani series by Cantagalli Press.

Important Dates

• September 25, 2026: Deadline for submission of proposals.

• November 13, 2026: Notification of acceptance.

• March 11–12, 2027: Theological Conference at the Athenaeum.

Organizers: Professors Sameer Advani and Leonardo Pelonara