Fr Federico Lombardi, S.J., President of the Vatican-based Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Foundation has presented to retired Pope Benedict a signed copy of Light of Reason, Light of Faith, Joseph Ratzinger and the German Enlightenment by Maurice Ashley Agbaw-Ebai.

In Fr Agbaw-Ebai’s book, Ratzinger comes out in relation to his various interlocutors as the truly ‘enlightened’ one because he demonstrates a truly balanced understanding of the human mind.

Mary Ann Glendon, former US ambassador to the Vatican and Professor of Law, Emeritus, Harvard University has been quoted as saying “With this exploration of the influence of the Aufklärung on the Emeritus Pope’s lifelong preoccupation with faith and reason, Father Maurice Agbaw-Ebai makes a welcome contribution to Ratzinger studies. This work by a young Cameroonian scholar is a major contribution to the fulfillment of Benedict’s cherished hopes for Africa’s role in the New Evangelization.”

By Chi Prudence Asong in Rome