Among the non-specialists in the anglophone world he was most known for his series for young people Religions of Humanity which he edited with American anthropologist Lawrence E. Sullivan (Head of the Centre for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University from 1990 to 2003).
On 6 January 2012, it was announced that Ries would be created a cardinal the next month,[REF] and was appointed Titular Archbishop of Bellicastrum on 23 January 2012.