2026 Conference
The New Ressourcement: Joseph Ratzinger and His Sources
The New Ressourcement is pleased to announce its fourth annual conference, to be held in Rochester, Minnesota, from November 4–6, 2026. The theme of the conference is “Joseph Ratzinger and His Sources.”
The 2026 conference seeks to explore the intellectual world of Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI and the principal figures and texts that shaped his theological vision and papacy. These include Scripture, Augustine, Bonaventure, the liturgy, friends and mentors, and even those with whom he disagreed.
We invite proposals that either examine Ratzinger’s engagement with his sources or engage those same sources directly. The conference will be an interdisciplinary dialogue, and we encourage biblical scholars, historical and systematic theologians, liturgists, and others to contribute their perspectives on the sources that informed Ratzinger’s thought.
To mark the centenary of his birth, a special issue of The New Ressourcement dedicated to Ratzinger will be published in 2027. Guest-edited by Tracey Rowland and Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai, it will feature selected papers from the conference.
Registration is now closed for the 2026 conference.
Keynote Speakers
Bishop Barron
Wednesday, November 4
“The Necessity of a Metaphysics of Logos in the Determination of Justice, An Examination of the Ratzinger-Habermas Debate”
Cyril O’Regan
Friday, November 6
“Benedict’s Sources: Imitation, Emulation, Figuration”
Tracey Rowland
Thursday, November 5
“Gottlieb Söhngen: Champion of the Analogia Fidei and its Critical Concepts”
Special Guest Speaker
Cardinal Kurt Koch
Plenary Speakers
Pietro Luca Azzaro
Emery de Gaál
Chris Ruddy
Aaron Pidel, SJ
Maurice Agbaw-Ebai
Jennifer N. Martin
Nina Heereman
Alejandro Sada