The foundation promotes the publication, dissemination, and study of Pope Benedict XVI’s writings and thought.

The Vatican Secretariat of State has appointed historian Father Roberto Regoli as president of the board of directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

Regoli, a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, is a specialist in modern Church history and the papacy. A priest of the Diocese of Rome, he is known for his research and teaching on Joseph Ratzinger’s thought.

Regoli succeeds Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, a longtime Vatican communications leader who served as director of the Holy See Press Office from 2006 to 2016 and previously led both Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center.

Established by Pope Benedict XVI on March 1, 2010, the Joseph Ratzinger–Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation promotes the publication, dissemination, and study of Ratzinger’s writings and organizes academic and cultural initiatives centered on his thought.

Father Federico Lombardi (left) and Father Roberto Regoli, outgoing and incoming presidents of the board of directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, in January 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Roberto Regoli

The foundation is funded by income linked to copyrights on Ratzinger’s published works and by donations.

The foundation’s signature initiative is the Joseph Ratzinger Prize, given to scholars who have distinguished themselves for theological research. Recent recipients include Irish theologian Cyril O’Regan and Japanese sculptor Etsurō Sotoo (2024), and Spanish theologians and philosophers Pablo Blanco Sarto and Francesc Torralba Roselló (2023).

The foundation’s board members will continue to include Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Professor Achim Buckenmaier, Francesca Bazoli, and Alberto Gasbarri, according to ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News.

The foundation’s scientific committee, appointed by the pope, includes cardinals Kurt Koch and Ángel Fernández Artime along with archbishops Salvatore Fisichella, Rudolf Voderholzer, and Bruno Forte.

In a message of greeting, Regoli thanked his predecessors and wrote that Ratzinger’s legacy “is very much alive — pastorally as well — as a source of inspiration and a sure guide for many personal journeys of conversion around the world.” He added that Ratzinger’s thought “still has much to say” and could make a meaningful contribution to contemporary theological and cultural debates, saying his personal commitment was to ensure that “this voice can continue to be heard through the foundation,” especially by helping young people rediscover the beauty of faith.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.