Notre Dame theologian John Cavadini will receive the 2026 Ratzinger Prize in December, the Vatican announced on September 22.
The prestigious award, nicknamed the “Nobel Prize of Theology,” was established in 2011 by the Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI Foundation. Originally conferred on theologians for their work in patristics, theology, and Sacred Scripture, the award was expanded by Pope Francis in 2017 to include artists and other non-theologians.
Pope Leo XIV will present the award to Cavadini at the Vatican Apostolic Palace on December 19.
Cavadini, who studies patristic theology with a focus on St. Augustine, has taught at Notre Dame since 1990. He served as Chair of the Theology Department from 1997 to 2010 and directed the McGrath Institute for Church Life from 2000 to 2026.
Cavadini is the third theologian from Notre Dame to receive the award, placing the university first in the world for its number of Ratzinger recipients. Cavadini follows professors emeriti Cyril O’Regan in 2024 and Reverend Brian E. Daley, S.J. in 2012.
Cavadini has served as a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine since 2003. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him in 2009 to serve on the International Theological Commission, which he did until 2014.
Cavadini expressed gratitude for the award in a statement, saying, “I have sought to live out my vocation as a theologian following the example of Origen of Alexandria, a third-century theologian, who repeatedly declared that he wished to be a vir ecclesiasticus, a man of the Church. At Notre Dame, I have been able to live out my vocation as a man of the Church and, at the same time, as a man of the academy.”
“I would hope that honored with this award are all of my students—past and present and future, graduate and undergraduate—all of my colleagues in the Department of Theology to whom I owe so much, and all of the faculty and staff of the McGrath Institute for Church Life, of whose gifts I have been the beneficiary for the last 26 years,” Cavadini continued. “Most of all, perhaps, I hope this award redounds, with gratitude, to the credit of Our Lady, the patroness of our University, under whose protection we have flourished for the last 183 years, and may it be so for the next 183 years.”
Father Roberto Regoli, president of the Ratzinger Foundation, described Cavadini as “a scholar who has addressed the theology of the Church from antiquity through to the 21st century” in a Vatican statement.
“The American professor is an expert above all on the Church Fathers, especially Saint Augustine, but he has also engaged with the theology of our own time. He has written extensively on Benedict XVI and the theology of Francis,” Regoli continued. “At Notre Dame, he directed the McGrath Institute for Church Life and dedicated himself to fostering theological life and faith in the United States and abroad.”
“He is a person deeply committed both intellectually and pastorally,” Regoli said.
Under Cavadini’s leadership, McGrath rose to global prominence as an academic institute dedicated to serving the Church in all her pastoral needs.
Theology Department Chair Professor William Mattison told the Rover he was “overjoyed” at the announcement. “Dr. Cavadini is a man of the Church, and a man of the academy, and this award recognizes his outstanding contributions, in an integrated manner, to these distinct but related venues.”
“[Cavadini] has always served the Church, the University, and our Department in a manner animated by theological excellence in the manner of ‘faith seeking understanding,’” Mattison added. “We thank God for how this award recognizes [his] work.”
Sophomore Dom DeHaven, a student of Cavadini, praised his professor’s influence in the classroom, saying, “Cavadini’s teaching has provided me with a framework for how to envision my life. … He has taught me how to envision my life and the lives of others as ones particularly valuable, unique, irreducibly beautiful, and cherished.”
Lucy Trotter is a senior majoring in piano performance and the Program of Liberal Studies, with a minor in philosophy. Reach her at lspence@nd.edu.