The Paul VI prize is awarded to Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, on the feast day of the Saint by Pope Francis. The prize, awarded in memory of Pope Montini was established in 1979 by the Paul VI Institute and is awarded to individuals or institutions “who, with their studies and their works, have contributed to the growth of the religious meaning in the world”.
The Pope recalled that Pope Saint Paul VI is also to be thanked for the Second Vatican Council which, amongst other things, emphasized the role of the lay faithful. “Prominent amongst their occupations is politics”, he said, describing politics as “one of the highest forms of charity”. But, the Pope continued, ”We may ask ourselves – how to make political action a form of charity and, on the other hand, how to live charity within political dynamics?”. The award ceremony was held in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
The answer lies in the word “service” the Pope continued. St. Paul VI said that those who exercise public power must regard themselves “as the servants of their fellow countrymen, with the disinterestedness and integrity befitting their high office”.
Christ himself spoke of the difficulty of serving and doing for others, noted the Holy Father, who stressed his idea that ‘’he who does not live to serve does not live to live. I believe that today the awarding of the Paul VI Prize to President Mattarella is a beautiful occasion to celebrate the value and dignity of service, the highest style of living, which puts others before one’s own expectations”.
Addressing President Mattarella directly, the Pope went on to stress that this is true for him, a fact “witnessed by the Italian people”. He recalled how the President recently renounced his long-awaited retirement when he stepped back in and took on a new mandate “in the name of the service required of you by the State”.