The John Paul II Vatican Foundation was established by decree of October 16, 1981. The Pope accepted that it bear its name with one condition: that the main objective of its activity is the promotion of Christian culture and evangelical values, as well as aid to students from the then Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe. It is a non-profit ecclesiastical organization that aims to promote educational, scientific, cultural, religious, and charitable initiatives related to the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. The following institutions are linked to the Foundation: the Polish House of John Paul II in Rome, the Documentation and Study Center of the Pontificate in Rome, the House of the John Paul II Foundation for students in Lublin (Poland), and many associations of Friends of the Foundation that operate throughout the world.

The supreme authority of the Foundation is the Archbishop of Krakow, today Mons. Marek Jędraszewski, while the President of the Board of Directors is Mons. Paweł Ptasznik. I discussed the Foundation’s recent initiatives with Bishop Ptasznik.

This year, for the first time, the Foundation will award the Saint John Paul II Prize. How did the idea for the award come about?

The John Paul II Vatican Foundation established the award on February 7, 2023, by decision of the Board of Directors to honor people, organizations or initiatives that, in their scientific, cultural and social activities, make use of teaching or inspiration of Saint John Paul II and contribute to the promotion of his legacy. In short, the award that was created to commemorate Saint John Paul II.

This year, the names of the first winners are here. Who I am?

On October 14, 2023, the international jury chaired by Cardinal Kurt Koch and composed of 13 people representing different fields of knowledge and the Church selected the first winner of the Saint John Paul II Prize: the John Paul Center for Justice and Peace II of Uganda. It is an organization founded in 2006 at the initiative of seven religious congregations operating in Uganda, inspired by the Post-Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa published in 1995. The objective of the Center is the practical promotion of the social doctrine of the Church, in particular that taught by Saint John Paul II.

When and where will the Saint John Paul II Award ceremony take place?

The awards ceremony will take place on May 22, 2024, in the Vatican, in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, at 5 p.m. In the afternoon, the President of the Jury, Card. Kurt Koch will present the winner, the John Paul II Justice and Peace Center. On the other hand, Card. Pietro Parolin will present the Prize statuette and give a speech on the contribution of Saint John Paul II to Catholic social teaching, with special reference to the mission of the Church in Africa.

Since 2006, universities and other academic institutions in Krakow have organized the so-called “John Paul II Days”. The objective of the Conference is to commemorate the person of Saint John Paul II, disseminate his legacy in the academic community, remember and make better known his thoughts and his Magisterium. Last year, the Foundation and the Pontifical John Paul II University in Krakow decided to organize a scientific event entitled “John Paul II Days in Rome”. You, Monsignor, have presented the initiative to all the rectors of the Pontifical Universities and Academic Institutions of Rome, also proposing the theme of the first Roman Days of John Paul II: “Faith and reason.” What were the reactions of the Roman academic world to your initiative?

I have met with the rectors of all the pontifical universities in Rome and I must say that, at first, they all welcomed the idea with great interest. The Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education also expressed his approval of the project. However, only the rectors of the Angelicum, the Gregorian and the Holy Cross indicated their representatives to the Organizing Committee. I hope that in the future others will join.

The “John Paul II Conference at the Pontifical Universities of Rome” will take place from November 25 to 30, 2024. The theme will be: “Faith and reason in the thought of John Paul II.” During the event there will be conferences, debates and cultural moments, organized by the different universities and a joint closing gala. A competition is also proposed for university students in Rome. Participants are invited to write and present a scientific article on topics related to the theme of the Conference or that refers, more generally, to the legacy and teaching of John Paul II. Text for publication (up to 35,000 characters including spaces) must be sent before November 10, 2024, to: [email protected].

The Commission, made up of professors from the universities involved in the project, will choose, among all the works, the three essays that are considered the best, which will be presented during the gala and subsequently published in a scientific journal. There will also be cash prizes, as well as a five-day trip to Poland for the three winners, in April 2025.