(Not) Across the Universe: Under a Common Sky
Sometimes I write columns and then decide not to submit them to The Tablet. This was my alternate column for April 2016; this is the first time it’s been published. Comments? The Vatican Observatory exists to show the world how the Church supports astronomy, and so a large part of my work is traveling the world to talk about our work. Two recent [2016] stops have been particular eye-openers to me. Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City, is the premier center of learning for the Mormon Church. For reasons that still puzzle me, I was invited to be the first non-Mormon scientist to give their annual Summerhays Lecture on Science and Religion. They went remarkably out of their way to make me feel at home. Indeed, the university guest house even caters to its gentile guests by having a coffee machine — the only coffee allowed on campus. (Stimulants like caffeine are forbidden to Mormons, … Continue reading →