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POPE-ASTRONOMERS Oct-30-2009 (490 words) xxxi
Awe for creation, pursuit of truth benefits science, pope says
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The same awe and amazement for creation and the quest for truth that underlined the work of early scientists would bring huge benefits to scientific discoveries today, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of astronomers.
The fathers of modern science, who included the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, did not limit their studies to the realm of reason, but were also motivated by a sense of wonder and the search for truth, he said.
"Our own age, poised at the edge of perhaps even greater and more far-ranging scientific discoveries, would benefit from that same sense of awe and the desire to attain a truly humanistic synthesis of knowledge, which inspired the fathers of modern science," the pope said.
The pope made his remarks Oct. 30 to an international group of distinguished astronomers, including the Vatican's own astronomers, as well as friends and benefactors of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
The modern scientific method of observation, testing hypotheses and critical analysis, requires patience and discipline and is essential if science is to benefit humanity and respect the natural world, he said.
"At the same time, the great scientists of the age of discovery remind us also that true knowledge is always directed to wisdom, and, rather than restricting the eyes of the mind, it invites us to lift our gaze to the higher realm of the spirit," he said.
Knowledge is more than calculations and experiments, he said. It must also "be committed to the pursuit of that ultimate truth which, while ever beyond our concrete grasp, is nonetheless the key to our authentic happiness and freedom."
The pope said he hoped the International Year of Astronomy would help people try to experience "the extraordinary wonder and amazement which characterized the great age of discovery in the 16th century."
The year of astronomy, which runs until Jan. 10, 2010, celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of the telescope to observe the cosmos.
While the 17th-century scientist was condemned for suspected heresy for maintaining that the earth revolved around the sun, he was "rehabilitated" in 1992 by a special Vatican commission established by Pope John Paul II.
Pope Benedict said the church has attempted since then "to attain a correct and fruitful understanding of the relationship between science and religion."
He expressed his appreciation "not only for the careful studies which have clarified the precise historical context of Galileo's condemnation, but also for the efforts of all those committed to ongoing dialogue" concerning the role faith and reason both play in understanding truth and the human being's place in the universe.
The pope praised the work of the Vatican Observatory staff for furthering dialogue between the church and the world of science through their research and educational projects.
He said he hoped the jubilee year would lead people beyond the study of nature to the contemplation of the Creator and his love, "which is the underlying motive of his creation."
END
Copyright (c) 2009 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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