Book chapter (PDF) 10 pages Level: university A paper by Fr. George V. Coyne, S. J., Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006, that was published by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) in a volume on Science and the Future of Mankind. [Click here to download PDF]
Continue reading →Journal Article 9700 words Level: university In this paper, published in the journal Higher Education of Social Science, Fr. George V. Coyne, S. J., Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006, writes: To what extent can what we know from science about the evolution of life in the universe influence our religious attitudes? And, on the other hand, to what extent can religious thought make a contribution to our scientific understanding of the origins and evolution of life in the universe? This twofold question poses the serious risk of transgressing upon the epistemological independence of the various disciplines: theology, philosophy, astrophysics, biology and cosmology, and creating, thereby, more confusion than understanding. It is, therefore, necessary to maintain a consistent posture of preserving the integrity of each of the disciplines, especially that between the natural sciences and theology. Click here for the full text of Fr. Coyne’s paper from Higher Education of Social Science.
Continue reading →Article 3 pages Level: all audiences In this article published in the journal Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Fr. George V. Coyne, S. J., Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006, concludes: Ignatian mission is a participation in the intrinsically missionary nature of the Church, the concrete presence of the Creator among his cocreators. God is continually encountering the world in new and creative ways because the world he created is responsive to his continual encounter. Ignatius sent his men into that world and sought to free them of any encumbrance to a free and total commitment to the world in whatever way their talents would best serve the Church. And their mission was to evolve just as the universe itself is in evolution. But for any individual Jesuit, Jesuit partner or Jesuit institution the evolution of mission must be in consort with the intrinsically missionary Church. The wisdom of God in emptying himself to create a world which shares … Continue reading →
An 8 minute video of a conversation with Vatican astronomers Br. Guy Consolmagno and Fr. Chris Corbally on the religious singificance of discovering extraterrestrial life. “Some theoloogians don’t make God big enough.”
Continue reading →A post by Fr. James Kurzynski on The Catholic Astronomer. “Can the perceived tension between evolution and God as Creator be fully addressed by clarifying a breakdown in communication over the word “random?” Of course, the answer is no. As is the case with many strained relationships, there isn’t just one issue that leads to a breakup. Nevertheless, I do feel that these explorations are needed for both believer and non-believer if we are to move away from faith and science as adversaries and toward a position of faith and science as dialogue partners in search of truth.”
Continue reading →Book chapter (PDF) 9 pages, 7000 words Level: all audiences A book chapter from the 2001 book The Challenges for Science. Education for the Twenty-First Century, published by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In this chapter Fr. George Coyne, S. J., Director of the Vatican Observatory from 1978 to 2006, writes: (1) We should start teaching children from where they are at present, their current knowledge, interests, fears, and so on; (2) all of us humans, those who teach and those who are taught, “have been made in heaven”, it has been said. This refers to the well known need for stellar nucleosynthesis to provide the chemical abundances required for life in the universe. It has been indicated that one of principal goals of teaching children should be an awareness of this birth of ours from star dust, if only at an elementary level. I would suggest that the didactic order be reversed and that this awareness should be the beginning … Continue reading →