CNS STORY: Cooperation between science, faith benefits humanity, pope says

POPE-GALILEO Dec-1-2009 (560 words) xxxi

Cooperation between science, faith benefits humanity, pope says

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Galileo Galilei showed the world that scientists cannot discover the truth solely through empirical study, but that philosophy and faith are also necessary for revealing the true meaning of the universe, Pope Benedict XVI said.

"The more people realize how complex the cosmos is, the more necessary it is to use a number of tools that are capable of satisfying" people's thirst for knowledge, he said.

The tools of philosophy and theology complement scientific endeavors and "no conflict" exists between these fields, he said.

The pope made his remarks in a written message sent to participants of an interdisciplinary congress titled, "From Galileo's Telescope to Evolutionary Cosmology: Science, Philosophy and Theology in Dialogue." The Nov. 30-Dec. 2 congress was organized by Rome's Pontifical Lateran University.

The pope's message, which was published by the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Nov. 30, highlighted the "deeply religious soul" of the Italian astronomer who revolutionized the scientific method.

"Galileo's discovery represented a decisive step for the history of humanity," wrote the pope.

His establishment of the modern scientific method of observation and testing hypotheses made possible the great scientific advancements of modern times, Pope Benedict wrote.

With his first use of the telescope to study the cosmos in 1609, "Galileo had penetrated the unknown paths of the universe; he threw open the door for observing an ever increasingly immense space," said the papal message.

Galileo's discoveries stirred in him a sense of wonder and praise for the creator of the cosmos and prompted questions about the origin and evolution of the universe, the pope wrote.

"Still today the universe continues to generate questions that simple observation is not able to give satisfactory answers to; the natural and physical sciences alone are not enough," said the message.

"In fact, if the analysis of phenomena remains holed up within itself, it risks making the cosmos appear to be an unsolvable riddle," it said.

Yet Galileo indicated that there is a logic to nature that can "speak to human intelligence and point out a path that leads beyond the simple phenomenon," wrote the pope.

Questions about the universe -- understanding it origin, its purpose and end -- cannot be answered by science alone, he wrote.

"Following Galileo's lesson, whoever observes the cosmos cannot limit himself or herself to what is observed with the telescope, but must go beyond in order to examine the meaning and end to which all of creation is directed," said the pope in his message.

Science, philosophy and religion do not conflict, he noted. In fact, only by coming together to exchange their expertise will experts in these fields "be able to present humankind today truly effective results," he wrote.

The pope wrote that great scientific discoveries and progress always carry a slight risk if people put too much emphasis on science and "forget to raise their gaze toward that transcendent being, the creator of all who revealed his loving face in Jesus Christ."

Galileo had been condemned by the church in the 17th century 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 has said the church has attempted since then "to attain a correct and fruitful understanding of the relationship between science and religion."

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