Villanova University to Present Civitas Dei Medal to Peter Phan, PhD, DPhil, STD, Distinguished Scholar of Catholic Social Thought and World Christianity

VILLANOVA, Pa. (March 17, 2026)-Villanova University will award the 2026 Civitas Dei Medal to Peter C. Phan, PhD, DPhil, STD, the inaugural Ignacio Ellacuría Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University. Dr. Phan's research deals with the theology of the icon in Orthodox theology, patristic theology, eschatology, the history of Christian missions in Asia, liberation, inculturation and interreligious dialogue. He will be delivering the lecture, "Saint Augustine the Migrant and the City of God," as part of the medal presentation ceremony on April 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. in Driscoll Hall. The Civitas Dei Medal honors Catholics who have made exemplary contributions to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness.

Dr. Phan is an award-winning author whose scholarship includes the authorship or editorship of more than 40 books and more than 300 published essays. His major works include "Culture and Eschatology: The Iconographical Vision of Paul Evdokimov," "Grace and the Human Condition," "Eternity in Time: A Study of Rahner's Eschatology," "Mission and Catechesis: Alexandre de Rhodes and Inculturation in Seventeenth-Century Vietnam," "Christianity with an Asian Face," and "Being Religious Interreligiously." His writings have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

A native of Vietnam, Dr. Phan was the first non-Anglo individual to be elected president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. In 2010, the organization bestowed on him its highest honor-the John Courtney Murray Award, recognizing outstanding and distinguished achievement in theology. He has received numerous accolades in his career, including four honorary doctorate degrees.

Dr. Phan received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Don Bosco College in Hong Kong and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of London, where he majored in French, Latin and history of philosophy. He then attended Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, completing his bachelor, licentiate and doctorate degrees in sacred theology. He later returned to University of London and earned a Doctor of Philosophy and a Doctor of Divinity.

Dr. Phan has held academic appointments at institutions across the world for more than 60 years. He was named to his current position at Georgetown in 2003 and is the founding director of the university's theology and religious studies PhD program.

The Civitas Dei Medal takes its name from the Latin title of St. Augustine's "The City of God." In this seminal work, Augustine encouraged intellectual engagement between the Church and the world. A gifted thinker and spiritual leader, he also created communities that searched for truth in unity and love.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges-the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation's top universities, Villanova supports its students' intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.