The Joseph Ratzinger—Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation has announced that conductor Riccardo Muti will receive the 2025 Ratzinger Prize. The prize, according to the Foundation, is awarded to “eminent personalities in the field of culture and Christian-inspired art.”
“The very high value of Maestro Muti’s art is universally recognized, and Benedict XVI also considered himself a sincere admirer of it,” the Foundation stated. “For his part, the Maestro reciprocated this esteem with repeated personal manifestations of attention and affection, even when Pope Benedict, after his resignation, was in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.”
“I have always followed and deeply admired Pope Benedict XVI, whose thoughts, reflections and meditations have been and will be a nourishment for men and women of good will,” said Muti. “The last private meeting with Benedict will remain for me and my wife a memory full of faith and hope.”