“I was amazed when I was informed that I would receive this honor,” said Fr. Daley, who a historical theologian specializing in the early history of Christianity. “It’s a privilege and an honor for the Society.”

Fr. Daley and the other winner, Remi Brague, a French professor of the philosophy of European religions at Ludwig- Maximilian University in Munich, will receive their prize from Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Oct. 20.

Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who heads the scholarly committee that selects the winners, called Fr. Daley “a great historian of patristic theology.” Cardinal Ruini also said Fr. Daley “has published an impressive — and I mean incredible — number of scientific articles on patristic theology, but also studies on the life and spirituality of the Society of Jesus, as well as on theological and ecumenical themes of current interest.”

Fr. Daley called his vocation a “wonderful blessing” and is grateful that he has been able to combine his priestly ministry with his academic interests and teaching career. Fr. Daley traced his interest in the early church fathers to a research paper during his freshman year at Fordham University in New York. It’s important to study the roots of the church to help us to understand today’s church, according to Fr. Daley.

Fr. Daley is the author and editor of numerous articles, books and publications, including “The Hope of the Early Church,” “On The Dormition of Mary: Early Patristic Homilies,” and “Gregory of Nazianzus.” He is also a consulting editor of the English edition of the magazine Communio, which then Cardinal Ratzinger co-founded in 2003.

In addition to teaching and writing, Fr. Daley serves as the executive secretary of the Catholic-Orthodox Consultation for North America.

Learn more about this year’s Ratzinger Prize at Catholic News Service, and listen to a podcast at the New York Province website to find out more about Fr. Daley’s research, current projects and life in the Society.

Born in Quito, Ecuador in 1951, Fr. Cordoba went on to study philisophy, technology and history at Bogota’s Pontificia Javeriana University, before specializing in clinical psychology at Rome’s Pontificia Gregoriana University.

Cordoba has held numerous academic positions, including rector of San Pedro Claver College in Bucaramanga, and dean of the faculty of medicine at Bogota’s Pontificia Javeriana University.

Cordoba remains secretary general of the Colombian Episcopal Conference as he replaces Enrique Sarmiento as bishop, who the Vatican confirmed handed in his resignation on the grounds of age.

The meeting was sponsored by the pontifical councils for culture and for social communications. The councils accepted requests to attend, then drew the names of the 150 participants once the requests were divided according to geography, language and whether the blog was personal or institutional.

The Vatican meeting was not designed as a how-to seminar, and it was not aimed at developing a code of conduct, but rather to acknowledge the role of blogs in modern communications and to start a dialogue between the bloggers and the Vatican.

Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of Pontifical Council for Social Communications, welcomed the bloggers to the Vatican and told them the Vatican wanted to begin “a dialogue between faith and the emerging culture” that is the blogosphere.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told the bloggers that while Pope Benedict XVI “is a person who does not Tweet or have a personal blog, he is very attentive and knows well what is happening in the world” and supports Catholic media efforts, as seen by his Good Friday television interview and by his book-length interview with the German writer Peter Seewald.

“Bloggers are important” for forming and informing church members, Father Lombardi said, but anyone who influences what Catholics think must recognize the responsibility that brings with it.

Father Lombardi said he had to thank bloggers for the times they acted to explain and spread church teaching and the thought of Pope Benedict.

But he also said that the whole question of bloggers’ self-centeredness and “ego” is “one of the problems which is worth reflecting on,” because while it is a danger for all communicators, a communicator who calls him- or herself Catholic must focus first on serving others.

[Catholic News Service]

“The Pope is trying to make the message of Jesus very clear,” commented Fessio. “He wants to present Jesus in a way that will engage the reader, and will allow people to have a certitude about their knowledge of him.”

Fr. Fessio, who was a student of Ratzinger’s 40 years ago, is director of Ignatius Press, which is the primary publisher of all books by Pope Benedict XVI in the United States.Currently on the New York Times best sellers list, the Holy Father’s book is actually written under his name Joseph Ratzinger, as it’s contents are not an official Church document.

“He’s not writing this as an official Church document, he’s writing it as a personal theologian…The difference is that this is not binding on Catholics as an official statement on the Church’s faith, although, I think what he says is true. The phone book isn’t binding either, but there’s alot of truth in there,” said Fessio.

To purchase Pope Benedict XVI’s book, please visit Ignatius Press’ website.

“The Pope is trying to make the message of Jesus very clear,” commented Fessio. “He wants to present Jesus in a way that will engage the reader, and will allow people to have a certitude about their knowledge of him.”

Fr. Fessio, who was a student of Ratzinger’s 40 years ago, is director of Ignatius Press, which is the primary publisher of all books by Pope Benedict XVI in the United States.Currently on the New York Times best sellers list, the Holy Father’s book is actually written under his name Joseph Ratzinger, as it’s contents are not an official Church document.

“He’s not writing this as an official Church document, he’s writing it as a personal theologian…The difference is that this is not binding on Catholics as an official statement on the Church’s faith, although, I think what he says is true. The phone book isn’t binding either, but there’s alot of truth in there,” said Fessio.

To purchase Pope Benedict XVI’s book, please visit Ignatius Press’ website.

The second volume of Pope Benedict XVI’s book series on Jesus was recently released, and Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio commented, “When he speaks to us in this book, as Joseph Ratzinger, he is not engaging the faith of the Church – it’s not a magisterial document.”

Fr. Fessio, who was a student of Ratzinger’s 40 years ago, is director of Ignatius Press, which published the English-language version of the pope’s book, “Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.”

Fessio said one interesting part of the book covers the passage in Matthew 27:25 (“And the whole people answering, said: His blood be upon us and our children.”) that has led some to believe the Jewish people are cursed.

Fessio explained, “He [the pope] says the blood of Jesus is not like the blood of Cain that cries out for vengeance. The blood of Jesus is redemptive blood. It’s bloodshed for the life of the world. It’s not for punishment or vengeance, it’s for salvation and redemption. It’s a beautiful reflection on it – two or three pages – that really kind of changes your whole view on that part of the Gospel, which has been used in the past sometimes for anti-Semitic purposes.”

Listen to the Vatican Radio interview with Fessio.

The second volume of Pope Benedict XVI’s book series on Jesus was recently released, and Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio commented, “When he speaks to us in this book, as Joseph Ratzinger, he is not engaging the faith of the Church – it’s not a magisterial document.”

Fr. Fessio, who was a student of Ratzinger’s 40 years ago, is director of Ignatius Press, which published the English-language version of the pope’s book, “Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.”

Fessio said one interesting part of the book covers the passage in Matthew 27:25 (“And the whole people answering, said: His blood be upon us and our children.”) that has led some to believe the Jewish people are cursed.

Fessio explained, “He [the pope] says the blood of Jesus is not like the blood of Cain that cries out for vengeance. The blood of Jesus is redemptive blood. It’s bloodshed for the life of the world. It’s not for punishment or vengeance, it’s for salvation and redemption. It’s a beautiful reflection on it – two or three pages – that really kind of changes your whole view on that part of the Gospel, which has been used in the past sometimes for anti-Semitic purposes.”

Listen to the Vatican Radio interview with Fessio.