Pope Leo XIV says the principal threat facing both religion and science is the denial of the existence of objective truth. Source: EWTN News.
He made this statement on Monday during an audience granted to members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, which supports the work of the observatory located in Castel Gandolfo.
“Today, however, science and religion face a different, and perhaps more insidious, threat: those who deny the very existence of objective truth,” the pontiff said.
During his address, he recalled that his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, refounded the Vatican Observatory in 1891 in a context where science was beginning to emerge as a rival source of truth to religion.
Because of this, he said, the Church felt the “urgent need to counter the growing perception that faith and science were enemies.”
“Too many in our world refuse to acknowledge what both science and the Church clearly teach: that we bear a solemn responsibility for the care of our planet and for the well-being of those who inhabit it, especially the most vulnerable, whose lives are threatened by the irresponsible exploitation of both people and the natural world,” Pope Leo said.
He underscored that the Church’s commitment to “rigorous and honest science remains not only valuable but essential”.
The Pope also highlighted the unique role of astronomy within this context. “It occupies a particular place in this mission,” he affirmed while emphasising its capacity to evoke wonder and a sense of proportion in human beings: “It awakens in us both admiration and a healthy sense of proportion.”
“Contemplating the heavens invites us to view our fears and failures in the light of God’s immensity,” he noted.
However, he lamented, “his gift is today threatened” by light pollution.
“To paraphrase Pope Benedict [XVI], we have filled our skies with artificial light that blinds us to the lights God has placed in them — an eloquent image,” he suggested, “of sin itself,” citing a 2012 homily by the German pontiff.
The Pope expressed his gratitude to the scientists and benefactors associated with the foundation, whose work sustains the activities of the Vatican Observatory.
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Pope warns main threat common to religion and science is denial of objective truth (By Victoria Cardiel, EWTN News)
