"The origin of the universe, its ultimate evolution and the deep structure of space and time, raise a number of serious questions about the meaning of life. They also open before our eyes an immense scenario in which it is easy to lose our bearings," Pope Francis told a delegation of scientists specializing in astrophysics, received at the Vatican on June 20, 2024.
Paying tribute to the legacy of the priest Georges Lemaître, father of the "Big Bang" theory, he stressed the importance for the Church of following and encouraging research into the workings of the universe, underlining their relevance from a theological and spiritual point of view.
The audience was organized by the Specola Vaticana, the Vatican's renowned astronomical observatory, which was hosting an international conference honoring the work of Belgian priest and astrophysicist Mgr. Georges Lemaître (1894-1966). From June 16 to 21, some 40 astronomers and cosmologists from all over the world exchanged views at Castel Gandolfo, home to one of the two observatories entrusted to the Jesuits by the popes — the other being in the Arizona desert.
"Faith and science can be united in charity, provided that science is put at the service of the men and women of our time and not misused to harm or even destroy them," Pope Francis told the attendees during his address. He encouraged them to approach the major topics proposed by this conference — titled "Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Space-Time Singularities" — with "sincerity and humility," but also with freedom and without "conditioning."
God is not “an object neatly catalogued by human reason”
As a model of these scientific virtues, the pontiff chose to salute the work of Georges Lemaître, "an exemplary priest and scientist."
"His human and spiritual journey offers a model of life from which all of us can learn," he said. The Holy Father briefly recounted how Lemaître became an engineer at his father's request, before experiencing the horrors of the First World War, and finally following his dual vocation as priest and scientist.
The pontiff pointed out that, at the start of his career, Fr. Lemaître was a "concordist," i.e. he believed that scientific truths were hidden in Scripture. Gradually, however, he came to understand that science and faith followed "two distinct and parallel paths, which are not in conflict."
These two paths are nevertheless "complementary," the Pope explained, because they have "are grounded alike in the absolute truth of God."
Georges Lemaître, the Pope emphasized, has thus realized that "'creation' and the ‘Big Bang’ are two different realities." He underlined how, for Lemaître, God cannot be “an object neatly catalogued by human reason,” but is a "hidden God" who always remains a "mystery" to the human mind.
