Pope Francis greets Vatican Observatory conference
participants
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday morning greeted
participants taking part in a conference organised by the Vatican Observatory
entitled "Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Space-Time Singularities.
The conference is taking place from 9-12 May at the Observatory at
Castelgandolfo in the Roman Hills.
Please find below the English translation of the Pope's
words to participants
Greeting of His Holiness Pope Francis to participants at the
Conference organized by the Vatican Observatory
12 maggio 2017
Dear friends,
I extend a heartfelt welcome to you all, and I thank Brother Guy Consolmagno
for his kind words.
The issues you have been addressing during these days at Castel Gandolfo are of
particular interest to the Church, because they have to do with questions that
concern us deeply, such as the beginning of the universe and its evolution, and
the profound structure of space and time, to name but a few. It is clear
that these questions have a particular relevance for science, philosophy,
theology and for the spiritual life. They represent an arena in which
these different disciplines meet and sometimes clash.
As both a Catholic priest and a cosmologist, Mgr Georges Lemaître knew well the
creative tension between faith and science, and always defended the clear
methodological distinction between the fields of science and
theology. While integrating them in his own life, he viewed them as
distinct areas of competence. That distinction, already present in Saint
Thomas Aquinas, avoids a short-circuiting that is as harmful to science as it is
to faith.
Before the immensity of space-time, we humans can experience awe and a sense of
our own insignificance, as the Psalmist reminds us: “What is man that you
should keep him in mind, the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:5).
As Albert Einstein loved to say: “One may say the eternal mystery of the world
is its comprehensibility”. The existence and intelligibility of the
universe are not a result of chaos or mere chance, but of God’s Wisdom, present
“at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old”. (Prov 8:22).
I am deeply
appreciative of your work, and I encourage you to persevere in your search for
truth. For we ought never to fear truth, nor become trapped in our own
preconceived ideas, but welcome new scientific discoveries with an attitude of
humility. As we journey towards the frontiers of human knowledge, it is
indeed possible to have an authentic experience of the Lord, one which is
capable of filling our hearts.
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