The Catholic Register

Taking science back from the culture wars

mikes@catholicregister.org (Michael Swan, The Catholic Register) — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 14:00:00 -0400

In the COVID era, there��Ƶapp no news like science news — the fastest vaccine development in human history has been news all year.

Being curator of meteorites allows Jesuit to 'find God' in all things

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 12:57:03 -0400

HOUSTON -- At the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, Jesuit Brother Robert Macke finds his work as the curator of meteorites for the Vatican Observatory -- formally founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII -- allows him to, as the Jesuit saying goes, "find God in all things."

Vatican Observatory holds first workshop with world's meteorite, extraterrestrial curators

cns@catholicregister.org (Catholic News Service) — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 08:57:18 -0400

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – Rocks, mineral debris and even dust from space are kept in special collections, museums and laboratories all over the world, and the Vatican Observatory took the first small step to help curators make a giant leap in coordinating their efforts globally.

Vatican stargazers look for divine inspiration

Sun, 28 May 2017 14:59:00 -0400

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – In a forgotten corner of the pope's sprawling summer estate at Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome, an unusual group of astronomers and cosmologists looks to the heavens for divine inspiration.

Pope Francis urges scientists ‘never to fear truth’

Fri, 12 May 2017 12:50:00 -0400

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis told a group of astronomers that scientific questions about the universe and its origins sometimes clash with theology and spiritual beliefs, but he encouraged them to continue their quest for knowledge and "never to fear truth."

Vatican astronomer: If you're afraid of science, you don't have faith

Wed, 10 May 2017 08:40:00 -0400

VATICAN CITY – The Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, who has worked as an astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican for more than 20 years, told journalists Monday that faith and reason are hardly at odds.

Vatican astronomers applaud discovery of Earth-sized planets

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 11:55:00 -0500

VATICAN CITY – The quest to find life on other planets got a boost when astronomers confirmed the existence of at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a red dwarf star just 40 light years away.

Vatican scientist's work inspired by his faith

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 08:30:00 -0400

For the budding Catholic scientist, many pundits present two exclusive and diverging paths. A person can take the path of science, reason and logic, or the path of religion, dogma and the intangible.

Papal astronomer wins recognition for excellence in communication

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:00:00 -0400

VATICAN CITY - A papal astronomer won recognition for his ability to communicate accurately and clearly the discoveries of planetary science to the general public.

Space School: Vatican Observatory supports rising stars in astronomy

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:55:10 -0400

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - It looked like a mini-United Nations, but the attendees were wearing shorts and T-shirts and, over coffee, they talked about the birth of star clusters rather than a ban on cluster bombs. Also, the location wasn't Manhattan or Geneva, but a refurbished monastery immersed in the papal gardens behind the pope's summer villa south of Rome.

The 25 young men and women from 23 different countries were future astronomers and astrophysicists brought together by the Vatican Observatory to spend the month of June discussing "The Formation and Evolution of Stellar Clusters," which are groups of stars populating the galaxies.