The Ratzinger Foundation, also known as The Pope Benedict XVI Foundation, is a charitable organization whose aim is "the promotion of theology in the spirit of Joseph Ratzinger." which it achieves by funding scholarships and bursaries for poorer students across the world. The foundation was launched on the initiative of former students (including 16 professors) of Joseph Ratzinger in December 2007.

The foundation makes much of its money from the selling of Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

's writings. In 2007, £1.6 million was raised for the charity by the selling of Pope Benedict's biography on Christ, Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth (book)

Jesus of Nazareth is the first volume in Pope Benedict XVI's planned three-volume meditation on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The first book authored by Benedict since his ascension to the papacy, it was published by Doubleday in 2007....

.

The charity also receives private donations and has close links with the Ratzinger Circle of Alumni (Ratzinger Schülerkreis), a group of theology students who, at doctoral and post-doctoral level, studied under the tutorship of then Professor Ratzinger. The Circle was formed after Ratzinger was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Munich.

The Ratzinger Prize

At the 2010 meeting, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI. had decided to donate a sizable sum of money for the establishment of a sort of 'Nobel Prize in Theology' (as Camillo Ruini called it) in recognition of those who perform promising scholarly research relating to or expounding upon his work; it was named the Ratzinger Prize, and each winner will receive a check for $87,000. The Prize is awarded in three areas: Sacred Scripture study, patristics

Patristics

Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian...

 and fundamental theology.

On Thursday, June 30, 2011 Benedict XVI. presented the three inaugural prizes to the winners in a ceremony at the papal residence, the Apostolic Palace

Apostolic Palace

The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...

, in the Vatican. The three winners were: Professor Dr. Manlio Simonetti, an Italian Professor and expert in Ancient Christian Studies and Patristic Biblical Interpretation (relating to the Church Fathers), who used to teach at Rome's La Sapienza University; the Reverend Father Professor Dr. Olegario González de Cardedal

Olegario González de Cardedal

Olegario González de Cardedal is a Spanish Catholic theologian and author. He was born in Lastra del Cano , Spain, in 1934. He studied in Ávila, where he was ordained a priest in 1959, and at the University of Munich, Germany, where he graduated in theology in 1964. He also continued his studies in...

, a Spanish priest and Professor specializing in Dogmatic and Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca

Pontifical University of Salamanca

The Pontifical University of Salamanca is a private, catholic university, located in Salamanca, Spain, and campus in Salamanca and Madrid.- History :...

 in Salamanca, Spain; and the Reverend Cistercian Father Professor Dr. Maximilian Heim, a German Cistercian Abbot (of Heiligenkreuz Monastery in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

), who teaches dogmatic and fundamental theology at the University of Heiligenkreuz near the abbey (Heim has a special interest in Pope Benedict XVI's theology).

• Laureate Manlio Simonetti was born in Rome on the 2nd of May 1926. In June 1947 he completed his classical studies at the Sapienza University of Rome – where he became professor for Christian history in 1969. He is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei
  Accademia dei Lincei
  The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
  
  .

• Laureate Maximilian Heim was born as Heinrich Josef Heim in Kronach on the 14th of April 1961. He earned his master in theology at the University of Vienna
  University of Vienna
  The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
  
   in 1987 and was ordained a priest at Heiligenkreuz in 1988. In 2003 Heim earned his PhD concentrating on the ecclesiology of cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He went on to teach fundamental theology. The awarded work is called Joseph Ratzinger: Life in the Church and Living Theology: Fundamentals of Ecclesiology.