Vatican City, 27 June 2016 – This morning Tiscali News published an article containing an interview with the president of the “Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI” Vatican Foundation, Msgr. Giuseppe Scotti, entitled “To Pope Francis, Ratzinger’s money: a donation of four million euros. Tiscali.it exclusive: Benedict XVI hands over to Bergoglio his foundation, with its huge capital. An act that demonstrates the unity between the current Pope and his predecessor”.

As both title and subtitle may be misleading, the Foundation has issued a communiqué to provide the correct information, reproduced herebelow.

Communiqué of the “Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI” Vatican Foundation” (27 June 2016)

Since its creation in March 2010, the Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation through all the activities it promotes has as its sole scope that of placing itself at the service of the Supreme Pontiff and his Magisterium, with the characteristics specific to the Foundation, donated by Benedict XVI from the beginning to the Holy See and to his successors in the papacy.

In particular, with regard to the charitable work of the Foundation, this is exercised through the annual assignment of ten scholarships to students in Italy and abroad. In 2015 scholarships were awarded for a value of 120,000 euros. The ways of obtaining study grants and the students who have benefited from them may be consulted on the Foundation’s website.

Secondly, the organisation of conferences at high cultural and scientific level, as set out in the Foundation’s statute, is guided by what Pope Francis recalls in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: “Universities are outstanding environments for articulating and developing this evangelising commitment in an interdisciplinary and integrated way”.

Finally, with the assignment of the Ratzinger Prize to scholars whose names are submitted by the Foundation’s scientific committee to the Pontiff, the Holy Father wishes to highlight the work of these men and women – Catholic and non-Catholic – who with their life of study have placed themselves fully at the service of the Gospel, making it comprehensible to their contemporaries. This is because, as we read again in Evangelii Gaudium, “proclaiming the Gospel message to different cultures also involves proclaiming it to professional, scientific and academic circles”.

For further information, www.fondazioneratzinger.va