On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly award their annual prizes—for the first time ever—to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in recognition of his contribution to the Ecumenical Dialogue, that is, the effort to bring Christian Churches closer together.
The institutions honoring the Ecumenical Patriarch are the Catholic Academy of Bavaria and the Benedictine Abbey of Niederaltaich.
The award ceremony will take place on June 6 at the aforementioned Academy. Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, President of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, will deliver the tribute to the honoree, while Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich, will conclude the official ceremony with a speech of his own.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
