The Pope said of the Pope Emeritus that "in silence he is sustaining the Church."
In her portraits, Tsarkova tries to give a little window into the lives of the popes.
At Christmas in 1934, when he was just seven years old, Joseph Ratzinger wrote a letter to the Baby Jesus.
This year's two recipients are Fr. Michel Fédou, a French theologian, and Professor Joseph Weiler, a Jewish lawyer and author.