More on Pope Benedict XVI and Sapienza Univesity
This post follows up on the previous “Pope Benedict XVI postpones speech at Sapienza University.”
Reuters carries a story on Pope Benedict the XVI’s remarks on the “seductive” power of science. The news agency spins the story as the Pope”reviving the science-versus-religion debate” and certainly not as continuing the science-and-religion-together inquiry. The Pope supports a wholistic view of the inter-relatedness not only of the sciences but also of theological inquiry. From the article:
Scientific investigation should be accompanied by “research into anthropology, philosophy and theology” to give insight into “man’s own mystery, because no science can say who man is, where he comes from or where he is going”, the Pope said.
This editoral blogger at the Guardian paid attention to an overlooked fact of the Galileo affair. An all-too-human Galileo unfairly satirized the Pope’s beliefs in the words of Simplicius. An all-too-human Pope unfairly got over-offended and responded in kind:
In fact one of [Galileo's] closest allies was a pope – Urban VIII – who supported the publication of his classic work Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. It was only when the scientist – renowned for his acerbic style – put the Pope’s thoughts into the mouth of a character called Simplicius that the offended pope withdrew his support and turned Galileo over to the inquisition.
Largely unreported the astronomical observatory moving out of Castel Gandolfo this month (Independent, Register, Times). Happily Catholic News Service reports that they are moving on to more up-to-date facilities in a renovated convent at the papal gardens.
(Via TitusOneNine.)
