Munich (dpa / lby) - Franz Herzog von Bayern has been honored for his cultural and scientific commitment with the Romano Guardini Prize of the Catholic Academy in Bavaria. Art and art education in particular brought the 88-year-old head of the House of Wittelsbach closer to Guardini, said Carla Schulz-Hoffmann, explaining the award on behalf of the academy management. From the point of view of the theologian and philosopher of religion Guardini, dealing with art in particular freed people to face reality: to the good, to the true and to God.
The award ceremony took place in Munich on Tuesday evening. Among the guests were Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). The prize, worth 10,000 euros, was presented by Academy Director Achim Budde.
In the laudatory speech, Jesuit Father Friedhelm Mennekes went into particular detail about the award winner's work as a promoter of contemporary art, which was evident, for example, in his commitment to the gallery association. According to Father Mennekes, it was clear to Franz von Bayern that modern art would take up and shape the present.
The Romano Guardini Prize was established in 1970 in memory of Romano Guardini (1885-1968). According to its own statements, the Academy honors personalities who, in the spirit of Guardini, have made outstanding contributions to the interpretation of time and the world in various areas of life.
