INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

Joseph Halevi Horowitz Weiler, a world-class intellectual, lawyer, thinker, researcher, academic lecturer, and author of books translated into many languages, is this year’s winner of the Nicolaus Copernicus Fides et Ratio Award, a prestigious distinction awarded by the provincial marshal for the second time this year. The ceremonial gala at the Dąmbski Palace, during which Prof. Weiler received the award, opened the Province Day celebrations yesterday (3 June).

 

‘With this award, we would like to thank Professor Weiler for following the path of truth, courage and humility throughout his life, as well as for his commitment to tolerance and dialogue, for fighting for the Judeo-Christian values of Europe, for defending its identity and symbols, and for building dialogue between people, nations, countries and continents. Today, more than ever before, the world needs true prophecy. It needs true authorities who are courageous in their search for truth and for what enriches humanity,’ said Marshal Piotr Całbecki in his speech. ‘May this statuette be an expression of recognition for your achievements, a reminder of Poland – the homeland of St. John Paul II and Nicolaus Copernicus – and our region, which wishes to follow in their footsteps in the search for truth.

 

The Fides et Ratio Award was established last year. The Marshal of the Province honours people who, in their scientific and creative activities, refer to the dialogue between faith and reason, which is key to our civilisation. Its first winner was Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Łódź.

 

The ceremony at the Dąmbski Palace was attended by President Bronisław Komorowski, Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka, the bishop-elect of Toruń, Rev. Arkadiusz Okroj, the president of the regional parliament Elżbieta Piniewska, members of parliament, representatives of the government administration, uniformed services, the world of science, culture and economy, as well as local governments.

 

‘This is a unique award and an important issue for all of us who are currently seeking a path between faith and reason, emotions and the need for rational functioning, as well as deeply rooted tradition and civilisational development. I am convinced that this award has a great future ahead of it,’ said President Bronisław Komorowski.

 

‘What is extremely important in Professor Weiler’s entire body of work is that his arguments allow for the construction of valuable interpretative standards for both European constitutions and international treaties,’ emphasised Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka. ‘I must admit that the professor’s way of thinking and reasoning is often cited in my lectures, especially on fundamental issues concerning the identity of Europe, which was a key theme in many of the activities of today’s award winner.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, Prof. Joseph H.H. Weiler also met with the academic community of the province in the main hall of Nicolaus Copernicus University. The topic of his lecture was Cain and Able: The First Murder and the Birth of Natural Law. Before the ceremony, Marshal Piotr Całbecki, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Prof. Weiler and Prof. Andrzej Jamiołkowski (rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University in 1993-1999 and 2005-2008) laid flowers at the plaque commemorating the meeting of St. John Paul II with people of science in the auditorium of Nicolaus Copernicus University on 7 June 1999.

 

‘Today we are hosting a unique person. A scientist and lawyer whose scientific achievements and commitment to the proper interpretation and application of law make him faithful to Copernicus’s famous letter to Pope Paul III, in which he wrote that ‘the pursuit of truth in all things is the goal of the scholar’,’ said Marshal Piotr Całbecki during the ceremony in the UMK Auditorium. ‘Nicolaus Copernicus was convinced that knowing the truth is only possible through the cooperation of faith and reason. This idea resonated in a special way in this place on 7 June 1999, during the historic meeting of John Paul II with scientists. Once again, I would like to thank the then rector of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Prof. Andrzej Jamiołkowski, for organising this unique event. And today, I would like to thank Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś and all of you for hosting Professor Weiler, so that we can once again reflect on the beautiful words of our Holy Father: ‘Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.’

 

In his speech, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś referred to the document Nostra aetate (the official title is ‘Declaratio de Ecclesiae habitudine ad religiones non christianas’ – ‘Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions’, editor’s note), adopted in 1965 during the Second Vatican Council. This document was an absolute revolution in Christian-Jewish relations at the time. (…) Today, we have among us a person from the Jewish community who shows how beautiful and meaningful dialogue with Christianity can be. Prof. Weiler is the first non-Christian to receive the Ratzinger Prize at the Vatican, a prestigious award given to individuals whose scientific achievements are inspired by Christianity. In his reflections, he often refers to the thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI, emphasised Cardinal Ryś. ‘Remember that no document, even if written with the best of intentions, means anything if there are no people who stand behind it and identify with it.’

 

Prof. Michał Białkowski presented Prof. Weiler’s biography.

 

This outstanding American lawyer, specialising in international and European law, among other fields, was born in 1951 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a family of Polish Jews. He studied law at the universities of Sussex, Cambridge and The Hague, and obtained his doctorate in Florence, where he later became a professor and dean of the Faculty of Law and co-founded the Academy of European Law. He lectures practically all over the world, including at the most prestigious universities, works permanently as a professor of law at New York University and Harvard, and sits on the editorial boards of prestigious American legal journals.

 

His academic interests currently focus on the place of religion – all religions, not just Christianity or Judaism! His most important publications include Christian Europe (translated into nine languages), From Regensburg to Berlin – Holiness and Reason (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Shall the Justice of the Whole Earth Not Do Justice? (2024).

 

He is the first non-Christian to receive the Ratzinger Prize at the Vatican, a prestigious award given to individuals whose scientific or artistic achievements are inspired by Christianity.

 

He feels connected to Poland and proudly recalls his ancestors, among whom are rabbis from Zamość and Lublin, including figures important to the history of Judaism in our lands. He is a practising Jew himself and wears a yarmulke on particularly solemn occasions.

 

Beata Krzemińska

Press spokesperson for the Marshal’s Office

 

27 May 2025

Last update: 4 June 2025