On 1 March, the jury for the Henri de Lubac Award met to assign a doctoral dissertation in French and a doctoral dissertation in another language defended at one of the Roman Pontifical Universities.

The award for the international section went to Fr Evan Steven Koop (Faculty of Theology - Pontifical Gregorian University) for the doctoral dissertation «Per Gemitum Columbae. The Virgin Mary's "Bridal Cooperation" in the Redemptive Sacrifice of the Cross, in the Mariology of Matthias Joseph Scheeben and His Patristic Sources», moderated by Prof. Joseph Carola. In the motivation for the award, the statement reads, "the jury would like to emphasise the precision and breadth of this work, which takes the discussion back to patristic sources and offers a fascinating historical study of the Mariological debates of the 19th century, the implications of which seem inevitable at this time of reflection on the Virgin Mary as the model of the Church as the bride of Christ".

The Henri de Lubac Award, organised by the Embassy of France to the Holy See and the Institut français - Centre Saint-Louis (IFCSL), wishes to promote the academic excellence of university dissertations that stand out for their originality and their contribution to theological, juridical and philosophical reflection. The Award will be assigned in a solemn ceremony in May, which will be presided over by H. Em. Cardinal Paul Poupard and H.E. Mme. Florence Mangin, Ambassador of France to the Holy See.

 

(The jury of the Henri De Lubac Award 2024 - Photo by Institut Français Centre Saint-Louis)