Jesuits in Science

On Monday 11 June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI received the faculty and students of the Eleventh Vatican Observatory Summer School along with the Jesuit staff of the Observatory in a private audience at the Vatican. The Summer Schools take place at the Observatory’s historical premises in the Gandolfo Castle near Rome (Castel Gandolfo) every two years. For one month 25 young scholars, at least one-third from non-industrialised countries, study selected topics under a renowned faculty of senior scholars. All participants are granted partial support by the Vatican, and those from developing countries receive a further scholarship covering at least three quarters of their travel and living costs. The success of this programme and the students’ motivation can be illustrated by the fact that 85 per cent of the 250 alumni of the previous 10 Schools are still engaged in astrophysical research.

The very concrete support of John Paul II was clear also from the fact that he granted a private audience to all the schools except for the last two when health reasons forced him to greet the participants in the context of general audiences in St Peter’s Square. It is very encouraging that Pope Benedict XVI decided to continue the tradition of private audiences. His address was published the following day in L’Osservatore Romano (Lunedi-Martedi 11-12 Giugno 2007, p. 4):

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to greet the faculty and students of the Eleventh Vatican Observatory Summer School, and I thank the Director, Father José Funes, for his kind words of greeting in your name.

Since its establishment in 1891, the Vatican Observatory has sought to demonstrate the Church’s desire to embrace, encourage and promote scientific study, on the basis of her conviction that “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (Fides et Ratio, Proemium). The Jesuit Fathers and Brothers who staff the Observatory are not only involved in astronomical research, but are also committed to offering educational opportunities for the next generation of astronomers. The Vatican Observatory Summer School is a concrete sign of that commitment.

Your programme this month is devoted to the study of Extrasolar Planets. In addition to your demanding research, however, you will have a precious opportunity to learn together with students from twenty-two different countries. The wide variety of your backgrounds and cultural traditions can be a source of great enrichment to you all. I encourage you to make the most of this experience, and I offer my prayerful good wishes that your small international community may become a promising sign of greater scientific collaboration for the benefit of the entire human family.

In the days to come, may you find spiritual consolation in the study of the stars that “shine to delight their Creator” (Bar 3:35). Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God’s blessing of wisdom, joy and peace.