On May 22, 2024, in the Royal Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the “Premio San Giovanni Paolo II” award, created by the Vatican John Paul II Foundation, was presented for the first time. The statuette, representing hands reaching out to each other in reference to Michelangelo’s fresco “The Creation of Adam,” created by the Polish sculptor Karolina Koch, was presented to Father Leonard Olobo, director of the Center, by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Cardinal Koch, president of the St. John Paul II Prize Council, was invited to present the commemorative diploma. The winner also received a financial reward of 30,000 euros.
The John Paul II Center was created in 2006 in response to the inspiration of Pope John Paul II’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation “Ecclesia in Africa.” No fewer than seven religious orders are involved in the Center’s activities, including the Comboni Missionaries M.C.C.J, the Jesuits, the Mill Hill Missionaries, the Missionaries of the Holy Cross (Father Olobo belongs to this congregation), and the Missionaries of Africa. The Center provides assistance to refugees from war-torn countries in this region, with programs ranging from human trafficking prevention to education or access to water, food, or electricity, takes care of street children in Kampala, and provides legal and medical assistance, as well as financial support.
For Father Leonard Olobo, receiving the award for his center was a genuine surprise. “We were simply doing what we thought was right, from the belief in the righteousness of promoting human dignity,” he said, “but now we have to work even harder because our efforts have been recognized.” The award has given everyone the strength and motivation needed to continue the work inspired by Saint John Paul II.
The award procedures are precisely defined by the regulations. The Chapter, composed of ex-officio members and elected members, is responsible for selecting the laureate. Each Chapter member can propose one or two candidates. The selection process includes a review and discussion phase, followed by the decision moment, which is the selection of the laureate. The selection chapter consists of 13 people, including six Poles (Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Monsignor Sławomir Oder, Father Michał Paluch OP, Monsignor Paweł Ptasznik, Professor Hanna Suchocka). The chapter president is Cardinal Kurt Koch. Among the foreign members are: Sister Helen Alford (Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences), Professor Carl Anderson (Order of the Knights of Columbus), Professor Daniel Arasa (Dean of the Faculty of Institutional Social Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross), Professor Michaela C. Hastetter (Chair of Pastoral Theology and Religious Education at the ITI Catholic University of Trumau and teacher at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg), Professor Roberto Morozzo della Rocca (Associate Professor of Modern History at Roma Tre University), and Professor Paul Weston (university professor since 1985 at the Vatican School of Librarianship).
