Alumnus praised by the Vatican
Dr Stummvoll received the accolade for his PhD thesis, entitled A Living Tradition: The Holy See, Catholic Social Doctrine, and Global Politics, 1965-2000.
Speaking to EUI Life, Stummvoll explained that his thesis “studies how, amidst the complexities of international relations, a religious actor like the Holy See interprets and applies its underlying normative tradition”.
“Having researched thousands of Vatican documents during my time at the EUI, I am pretty amazed that, today, I actually find my own name mentioned in the Vatican’s daily press bulletin among the award winners”, remarked Stummvoll.
The former SPS researcher went on to acknowledge the support he received from his alma mater: “Thanks to my supervisor Friedrich Kratochwil, the EUI’s unique academic atmosphere, the geographical proximity to Rome and the Religion and Politics Working Group which I had the honour of co-founding in 2009, the Badia Fiesolana was a congenial place for my research”.
After leaving the EUI, Stummvoll became a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Instituto de Ciencia Política at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago. He is now a married, parent of one and currently lives in his home town in Baden-Baden in Germany where he works as district director for the local Member of the German Bundestag.
The awards, which includes a grant of €10,000, will be presented to Stummvoll during a cermoney to be held in Rome on 26th May.