In a historic first, Japanese sculptor Etsurō Sotoo has been awarded the Ratzinger Prize, with the approval of Pope Francis. Sotoo, born in 1953 in Fukuoka, Japan, is renowned for his work on Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica.
After graduating from Kyoto University, Sotoo taught in Japan before visiting Spain in 1978. Enchanted by the Sagrada Familia, he joined the project as a sculptor, working on the Nativity façade under Antoni Gaudí’s original instructions. During his time in Barcelona, Sotoo converted to Catholicism and received baptism.
Sotoo’s works adorn various parts of the Sagrada Familia temple, as well as locations in Japan, Spain, and Italy, including Florence Cathedral. He is currently involved in the canonization process of Antoni Gaudí, affectionately known as “God’s architect.”
Sharing the 2024 Ratzinger Prize is Irish theologian Cyril O’Regan, Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Notre Dame. O’Regan has authored numerous articles and books, including “The Heterodox Hegel” and “Theology and the Spaces of Apocalyptic.”
On 22 November Cardinal Pietro Parolin will present the Ratzinger Prize to Sotoo and O’Regan in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace. The ceremony will be preceded by a morning Mass in memory of Pope Benedict XVI at his tomb in the Vatican Grottoes, followed by a private audience with Pope Francis.