The rights were awarded by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican’s publishing house, and the works will be published in a 24-book series over the course of 12 years.
A prolific writer, it is estimated that between his papacy and prior – when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict produced around 5 million words that will be published in the series.
Word on Fire has a lot of translating to do, as about half of his writings have never before been published in English.
Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire, commented on the series:
“The writings of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) are of inestimable value. They will serve future generations as a great repository not only of theological and spiritual wisdom, but of the history of a particular moment in the life of the Church.”
The series was technically launched by Ignatius Press, when the house published Theology of Liturgy in 2014.
Ignatius Press will continue to assist Word on Fire with the series, but Bishop Barron’s ministry will take the lead from here.
The Collected Works of Joseph Ratzinger will begin publishing again in 2026, releasing two volumes per year until 2038.
Dr. Jason Paone, Editor of Word on Fire Academic, expressed how honored he was for the privilege of bringing the works of Pope Benedict XVI to the English-speaking world:
“Joseph Ratzinger is a monumental figure of post-conciliar Catholic thought, and his insights are essential for the future of the Church as it works to implement the vision of the Second Vatican Council and live out its mission in the unprecedented circumstances of the 21st century.”
The Word on Fire team was uniquely positioned to take over the publishing of the series, as they have garnered monumental success in their work.
With 100 books published, Word on Fire has sold an estimated six million copies worldwide.