Dr. Scott Hahn, on Nov. 28, 2005 delivered his inaugural lecture as the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

“In naming this chair, St. Vincent’s has become the first institution in the world to recognize the unparalleled contribution of our new pope to restoring the original and indivisible unity of Scripture and Church, revelation and tradition, the Bible and the liturgy, theology and catechesis,” Hahn said during an hour-long talk to an audience of nearly 500 people, including bishops, priests, seminarians, and students.

St. Vincent’s Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B. traveled to Rome earlier this year and received the Pope’s personal permission to name the chair in his honor.

Hahn wrote forewords to two books the Pope published before assuming his pontificate, The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood and Many Religions - One Covenant.

“My aim in this new chair,” said Hahn, “is to teach our future priests how to read the Bible in a way that integrates the Old and New Testaments, so that in their preaching, these written texts become a living Word that will transform the lives of the faithful.”