Burkina Faso Jesuit Priest Makes History as First African to Win Ratzinger Prize

Fr Béré who is a lecturer at the Rome-based Pontifical Biblical Institute, explained that he received the award for his work on the figure of Prophet Joshua. 

“As an African Biblist, I worked on the figure of Joshua,” he said 

The Jesuit priest also stated that the two dimensions of the figure of the Prophet Joshua who led the community entrusted to him with dedication and his relationship with his predecessor Moses are a source of inspiration for the people of God in Africa on the transmission of values from one generation to another.

“This is also an inspiration that can help the Church in Africa to work towards the transmission from one generation to another of the mission that we received from the Lord in the ecclesial and political spheres,” he said.

Fr.  Paul Beré, who is a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) was part of a recent Nairobi conference that deliberated on the status of the evangelization mission in Africa. In an interview with ACI Africa, he emphasised the need for “africanness” in African Churches and encouraged Africans to network with other African scholars to promote the identity of Africans within the universal Church.

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Pope Francis will award Fr. Béré the prize on November 9, 2019 at the Vatican Apostolic Palace alongside the Canadian Catholic philosopher, Charles Margrave Taylor.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.