Rome, Nov. 15 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) today conferred an annual prize for scholarship on Professor Santiago Sanchez Sanz of the pontifical University of the Holy Cross

The pontifical academices offer an annual prize to a young scholar or artist whose work advances "the development of religious sciences in Christian humanism and its artistic expressions." Professor Sanchez Sanz was honored for a doctoral thesis in theology on "the relation between creation and alliance in contemporary theology." The thesis deals extensively with the theological writings of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

In 2004, Pope John Paul II (bio - news) was unable to attend the 9th public session of the pontifical academies because of his failing health. But in the Pope's name, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, the deputy Secretary of State, conferred the award for that year on the Benedict abbey of Keur Moussa, Senegal, for work on Gregorian chant.