Christendom College Theology professors Dr. Owen Vyner and Dr. Conor Sweeney have contributed their scholarly insights to the upcoming work, Joseph Ratzinger in Dialogue with Philosophical Traditions: From Plato to Vattimo. This book, which is a collaboration of scholarly essays written by various academics worldwide, offers a comprehensive overview of the influences that shaped Pope Benedict’s own philosophical thought and ideas.
Vyner and Sweeney both contributed essays to the new book, which aims to deepen comprehension and appreciation for Pope Benedict XVI’s philosophical contributions to Church teaching. Among the essays, Vyner discusses “Friedrich Nietzsche: Eros, Morality, and the Death of God” while Sweeney contributes “Martin Heidegger: Being and Time.” Notably, Dr. Tracey Rowland, who will be one of Christendom’s commencement speakers this coming May, serves as both an author and one of the chief editors of this scholarly work.
Christendom was incredibly blessed to have a strong and personal connection with Pope Benedict XVI during his lifetime, even before his election as pope. In 1996, College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell first met then-Cardinal Ratzinger, who expressed admiration and gratitude for the college’s mission. In 2002, Cardinal Ratzinger further demonstrated his support by serving as the Chairman of the Honorary Dinner Committee for the college’s 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner. Christendom continued to have a strong connection to him following his election as pope, with Pope Benedict even blessing the cornerstone of the college’s new Christ the King Chapel in 2008.
Dr. Owen Vyner, an associate professor and current chairman of the theology department at Christendom College, obtained his Ph.D. from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia. He has written extensively on sacramental theology and the theology of marriage and the family, and was featured in the book God and Eros: The Ethos of the Nuptial Mystery, which was co-edited by Sweeney.
Dr. Conor Sweeney, also an associate professor of theology at Christendom College, earned his S.T.D. from the Pontificio Istituto Giovanni Paolo II per Studi su Matrimonio e Famiglia in Rome, Italy. He has authored a number of books, including Abiding the Long Defeat: How to Evangelize Like a Hobbit in a Disenchanted Age, and has written previously on the thought of Pope Benedict for The Catholic World Report and contributed two chapters to the Ratzinger Theological Dictionary from Ignatius Press.
Pre-orders for Joseph Ratzinger in Dialogue with Philosophical Traditions are currently available with scheduled release on February 22, 2024. To pre-order, click here.
Contributed by Samia Clerico ’24.