Bishop Robert Barron Awarded Prestigious Joseph Pieper Prize in Germany Despite Protests by Some Associations and University Professors
Bishop Robert Barron was awarded a prestigious prize in Germany.
A speech was delivered (see below), praising Bishop Barron, by Bavarian Bishop Stefan Oster SDB, introducing the 2025 winner of the Josef Pieper Prize. The ceremony was held in Münster, Germany, on July 27, 2025. A solemn pontifical mass in the Überwasserkirche with Bishop Stefan Oster – concelebrated by Bishop Barron. Pieper's Requiem was also celebrated as a choral mass in this church. Oster delivered a wonderful and moving sermon on the power of prayer for closeness and unity with God, our Father. According to Kath.net in interview with Prof. Riccardo Wagner: "Unfortunately, some demonstrators, quite a few of whom weren't even Catholic, took the opportunity after the service to chant absurd slogans and make the usual accusations of discrimination. They defamed Barron as a Nazi, fascist, and autocrat (Trump) helper."
Bishop Barron said that receiving the Josef Pieper Prize “means a great deal to me.”
Catholic institutions and associations in Germany were protesting and criticizing Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. "Bishop Barron stands for a kind of Catholicism that excludes people like LGBTQ Catholics or migrants," said a statement by the Catholic Faculty of Münster University that was published. For some prominent professors, the award ceremony promotes a type of faith that belong to a movement using theology "to support authoritarianism in the U.S., Europe and other places."
EXCERPT from Bishop Stefan Oster's Introduction to Bishop Barron's Reward Ceremony:
Ladies and gentlemen, I have also developed all of this from the perspective of Josef Pieper, before finally turning to Bishop Barron. In him, we see a man who, in recent years, has become one of the world's most widely read Catholic evangelists, particularly in the English-speaking world. And when I spoke of preaching that can ignite, of knowing people, and of the anointing, I see these qualities – among many other qualities – also present in Bishop Barron.
His most essential and comprehensive contribution to the service of the Church's faith is summed up as "Word on Fire – Catholic Ministries." It has become a very broad and profound ministry of the new evangelization. And if I'm correctly informed, it was called "Word on Fire" from the very beginning. This phrase perfectly expresses Bishop Barron's primary concern: It is about proclaiming the Word of God itself, making it accessible in such a way that it can ignite: "Word on Fire."
So that people ask in retrospect, "Didn't our hearts burn within us?" And that they might then stay on that path, continue to follow this word and bring it to life in their own lives. "Word on fire." There's probably no exact German translation of this: "Word on fire" certainly doesn't sound like the English original. The word that burns, that can ignite and carry away, or even: The word that is anointed—all of this is probably what is meant.
But what makes the heart burn? A key aspect is Bishop Barron's comprehensive biblical education, his knowledge of Scripture. Like few others, he explores the Christ event from the entirety of Scripture, including the great tradition of the Old Testament with its many fascinating proclamations and promises that find their fulfillment or culmination in Christ. Of course, he does this with the greatest respect for the tradition of faithful Judaism. But always in well-informed connection with Jewish tradition. It becomes so clear in his work why attempting to understand Christ without the Old Testament would be a profoundly amputated understanding.
From this understanding of Scripture, Bishop Barron also proclaims the whole Christ—and not just the one who would be pleasing to us. It is about the pre-existent Son of God, the Messiah promised in the Old Covenant, the Baby of Bethlehem, the herald of the Kingdom of God, the healer of the sick, the head of the new people of God, the suffering and slain, the resurrected Christ, as well as the returning and judging Christ. It is about the whole Christ, who invites us to conversion and rebirth and who teaches us—as Paul says—to let our whole mind be taken captive to him, to Christ (cf. 2 Cor 10:5).
Bishop Barron is also extensively trained in philosophy, particularly in Thomas Aquinas, Paul Tillich, Josef Pieper, Dietrich von Hildebrand, John Henry Newman, but also in Nietzsche, Marx, Sartre, Foucault, and many others. Bishop Barron understands humanity from this perspective as well. He understands the need to stand before God—and he understands the ideologies surrounding humanity, especially those of contemporary humanity in our societies. Moreover, he is extremely well informed about the cultural, political, and social trends of the day and continually seeks public dialogue with key figures in politics, culture, and the media—and with figures of all political and ecclesiastical persuasions.
But what is far more essential and, in my view, the decisive factor: he is a prayer. He continually calls us Christians, especially those who preach, to "Holy Hour," the daily hour with the Lord. With the Liturgy of the Hours, with Scripture, with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. If you ask me where Bishop Barron gets what I have described as his ability to ignite, or even as his "anointing," then this is the all-decisive source. Appropriating Scripture through comprehensive learning on the one hand, and through prayer, through dialogue with its author on the other—that is the source of the anointing and the word that can ignite and carry us along.
3. Evangelization through beauty
Robert Barron is also – like Josef Pieper himself – a master of presenting complex content in understandable, beautiful language. And he's adept at media. Like few other churchmen, he used YouTube videos for the first time 25 years ago to engage with contemporary culture. He made videos in which he discussed movies from the perspective of faith. That's how it all began. He was also a radio preacher and had his own television show – and he produced a hugely successful television series about the Catholic faith, which he and his team filmed on several continents: "Catholicism," the story of the development of our faith and its beauty.
With this television series, which is now also available in German, he points to another focus of his preaching. As a theologian, he is deeply influenced by the so-called New Theology, whose outstanding exponents are Henri de Lubac and Hans Urs von Balthasar. And Joseph Ratzinger, a younger figure than these two, also stands in this important tradition and is also a frequent point of reference for theologian Robert Barron.
Balthasar, in particular, structured his great, magnificent 15-volume theological trilogy around the so-called transcendentals. In classical metaphysics, transcendentals are fundamental determinations of all being. True, good, and beautiful are the most prominent of these, and they are usually named in this order. Balthasar, however, unfolds his great trilogy in exactly the reverse order. The first volumes of his great work are entitled "Glory – A Theological Aesthetics." Balthasar thus begins not with true or good, but with beautiful.
I mention this because, for Bishop Barron, it is also a crucially important, inviting approach to faith in his preaching. Barron makes it clear: Much of what they do at "Word on Fire" is intended, above all, to be beautiful, aesthetically pleasing. Because: In a Western, materialistic, liberal culture like ours, we as a church can generally no longer begin with what we have recognized as truth—that is, not first with dogma. Nor with morality, that is, the question of what is good or what should be done. In many respects, the church itself is too much in the moral dock for that today.
But what we can always do is show this culture what is beautiful and how beautifully our faith is expressed in the many magnificent works that our tradition knows: in painting, architecture, music, literature, and so on. The greatest artists of our faith tradition were also very often deeply religious people. Therefore, the products of "Word on Fire" are truly beautiful, not to say: always exquisite. The video productions about faith, about the saints, about the sacraments by Word on Fire are all very beautiful, very appealingly produced.
For several years now, a very elaborate and beautifully produced quarterly magazine entitled "Evangelization and Culture" has been published. There is the Word on Fire Bible, a wonderfully produced multi-volume Bible edition that combines the biblical text with weighty commentaries from the great faith traditions and illustrations by outstanding works of art. A Bible edition like a cathedral, they say. There are numerous books of their own production or classics that are being reissued. All very attractively produced.
And the goal of these efforts to create aesthetically high-quality products is this: Those who are attracted by the beauty of the expression of faith may then, in a second step, more easily find their way to the question of what makes a life based on faith good and true, and thus hopefully also to dogma and morality. But then in such a way that these two aspects can be experienced as existentially relevant and liberating, and not primarily as alienating, controlling, or even accusatory. After all, this is precisely a common prejudice of our time: Catholicism means agreeing to a belief system that begins with sentences like: You must, you should, and you may not.
Bishop Barron said that receiving the Josef Pieper Prize “means a great deal to me.”
Catholic institutions and associations in Germany were protesting and criticizing Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. "Bishop Barron stands for a kind of Catholicism that excludes people like LGBTQ Catholics or migrants," said a statement by the Catholic Faculty of Münster University that was published. For some prominent professors, the award ceremony promotes a type of faith that belong to a movement using theology "to support authoritarianism in the U.S., Europe and other places."
EXCERPT from Bishop Stefan Oster's Introduction to Bishop Barron's Reward Ceremony:
Ladies and gentlemen, I have also developed all of this from the perspective of Josef Pieper, before finally turning to Bishop Barron. In him, we see a man who, in recent years, has become one of the world's most widely read Catholic evangelists, particularly in the English-speaking world. And when I spoke of preaching that can ignite, of knowing people, and of the anointing, I see these qualities – among many other qualities – also present in Bishop Barron.
His most essential and comprehensive contribution to the service of the Church's faith is summed up as "Word on Fire – Catholic Ministries." It has become a very broad and profound ministry of the new evangelization. And if I'm correctly informed, it was called "Word on Fire" from the very beginning. This phrase perfectly expresses Bishop Barron's primary concern: It is about proclaiming the Word of God itself, making it accessible in such a way that it can ignite: "Word on Fire."
So that people ask in retrospect, "Didn't our hearts burn within us?" And that they might then stay on that path, continue to follow this word and bring it to life in their own lives. "Word on fire." There's probably no exact German translation of this: "Word on fire" certainly doesn't sound like the English original. The word that burns, that can ignite and carry away, or even: The word that is anointed—all of this is probably what is meant.
But what makes the heart burn? A key aspect is Bishop Barron's comprehensive biblical education, his knowledge of Scripture. Like few others, he explores the Christ event from the entirety of Scripture, including the great tradition of the Old Testament with its many fascinating proclamations and promises that find their fulfillment or culmination in Christ. Of course, he does this with the greatest respect for the tradition of faithful Judaism. But always in well-informed connection with Jewish tradition. It becomes so clear in his work why attempting to understand Christ without the Old Testament would be a profoundly amputated understanding.
From this understanding of Scripture, Bishop Barron also proclaims the whole Christ—and not just the one who would be pleasing to us. It is about the pre-existent Son of God, the Messiah promised in the Old Covenant, the Baby of Bethlehem, the herald of the Kingdom of God, the healer of the sick, the head of the new people of God, the suffering and slain, the resurrected Christ, as well as the returning and judging Christ. It is about the whole Christ, who invites us to conversion and rebirth and who teaches us—as Paul says—to let our whole mind be taken captive to him, to Christ (cf. 2 Cor 10:5).
Bishop Barron is also extensively trained in philosophy, particularly in Thomas Aquinas, Paul Tillich, Josef Pieper, Dietrich von Hildebrand, John Henry Newman, but also in Nietzsche, Marx, Sartre, Foucault, and many others. Bishop Barron understands humanity from this perspective as well. He understands the need to stand before God—and he understands the ideologies surrounding humanity, especially those of contemporary humanity in our societies. Moreover, he is extremely well informed about the cultural, political, and social trends of the day and continually seeks public dialogue with key figures in politics, culture, and the media—and with figures of all political and ecclesiastical persuasions.
But what is far more essential and, in my view, the decisive factor: he is a prayer. He continually calls us Christians, especially those who preach, to "Holy Hour," the daily hour with the Lord. With the Liturgy of the Hours, with Scripture, with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. If you ask me where Bishop Barron gets what I have described as his ability to ignite, or even as his "anointing," then this is the all-decisive source. Appropriating Scripture through comprehensive learning on the one hand, and through prayer, through dialogue with its author on the other—that is the source of the anointing and the word that can ignite and carry us along.
3. Evangelization through beauty
Robert Barron is also – like Josef Pieper himself – a master of presenting complex content in understandable, beautiful language. And he's adept at media. Like few other churchmen, he used YouTube videos for the first time 25 years ago to engage with contemporary culture. He made videos in which he discussed movies from the perspective of faith. That's how it all began. He was also a radio preacher and had his own television show – and he produced a hugely successful television series about the Catholic faith, which he and his team filmed on several continents: "Catholicism," the story of the development of our faith and its beauty.
With this television series, which is now also available in German, he points to another focus of his preaching. As a theologian, he is deeply influenced by the so-called New Theology, whose outstanding exponents are Henri de Lubac and Hans Urs von Balthasar. And Joseph Ratzinger, a younger figure than these two, also stands in this important tradition and is also a frequent point of reference for theologian Robert Barron.
Balthasar, in particular, structured his great, magnificent 15-volume theological trilogy around the so-called transcendentals. In classical metaphysics, transcendentals are fundamental determinations of all being. True, good, and beautiful are the most prominent of these, and they are usually named in this order. Balthasar, however, unfolds his great trilogy in exactly the reverse order. The first volumes of his great work are entitled "Glory – A Theological Aesthetics." Balthasar thus begins not with true or good, but with beautiful.
I mention this because, for Bishop Barron, it is also a crucially important, inviting approach to faith in his preaching. Barron makes it clear: Much of what they do at "Word on Fire" is intended, above all, to be beautiful, aesthetically pleasing. Because: In a Western, materialistic, liberal culture like ours, we as a church can generally no longer begin with what we have recognized as truth—that is, not first with dogma. Nor with morality, that is, the question of what is good or what should be done. In many respects, the church itself is too much in the moral dock for that today.
But what we can always do is show this culture what is beautiful and how beautifully our faith is expressed in the many magnificent works that our tradition knows: in painting, architecture, music, literature, and so on. The greatest artists of our faith tradition were also very often deeply religious people. Therefore, the products of "Word on Fire" are truly beautiful, not to say: always exquisite. The video productions about faith, about the saints, about the sacraments by Word on Fire are all very beautiful, very appealingly produced.
For several years now, a very elaborate and beautifully produced quarterly magazine entitled "Evangelization and Culture" has been published. There is the Word on Fire Bible, a wonderfully produced multi-volume Bible edition that combines the biblical text with weighty commentaries from the great faith traditions and illustrations by outstanding works of art. A Bible edition like a cathedral, they say. There are numerous books of their own production or classics that are being reissued. All very attractively produced.
And the goal of these efforts to create aesthetically high-quality products is this: Those who are attracted by the beauty of the expression of faith may then, in a second step, more easily find their way to the question of what makes a life based on faith good and true, and thus hopefully also to dogma and morality. But then in such a way that these two aspects can be experienced as existentially relevant and liberating, and not primarily as alienating, controlling, or even accusatory. After all, this is precisely a common prejudice of our time: Catholicism means agreeing to a belief system that begins with sentences like: You must, you should, and you may not.
Sources: https://kath.net/news/88095
https://www.ncronline.org/news/protests-planned-germany-bishop-barron-receives-josef-pieper-prize
https://stefan-oster.de/laudatio-verleihung-des-josef-pieper-preis-an-bischof-robert-barron/
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