For both faith and science, truth is the goal

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June 21, 2024

Jesuit Fr. Brian Grogan and Fr. Richard Gibbons, rector of Knock Shrine, are pictured at the launch of the Creation Walk at Knock Shrine, May 25 in Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. (Sinead Mallee)

During the second ever Lemaître Conference convened by the Vatican Observatory June 16–21, Pope Francis told cosmologists, theoretical physicists and astronomers who were gathered for the event that "science and faith are two distinct and parallel paths, which are not in conflict. Indeed, the two paths prove complementary, inasmuch as, for the believer, science and faith are grounded alike in the absolute truth of God."

He was reflecting on the life and work of Msgr. Georges Lemaître, the conference's namesake and the scientist who first theorized that the universe had a single origin point and is constantly expanding, an idea known today as the "Big Bang theory," reported Carol Glatz for Catholic News Service.

"Georges Lemaître was an exemplary priest and scientist," said the pope. "His human and spiritual journey offers a model of life from which all of us can learn."

At Knock Shrine in County Mayo, Ireland, Jesuit Fr. Brian Grogan has designed a Creation Walk that similarly weds faith and science. Each of the 30 stations along the half-kilometer walk tell a part of the story of the universe paired with a quote from scripture.

"This is an attempt not to laud one and squash the other, but to create an environment in which religion and science illuminate each other," Grogan told Sarah MacDonald for EarthBeat. "What is given in Genesis has its own correctness and its own wonder. It is not trying to be scientific. While theology can tell us that God made the world, science tells us how God went about it and how God is going about it. Science tells us what the story is."

What else is new on EarthBeat:

This election season, vote pro-life by voting pro-creation

by Michael Wright

As the U.S. bishops state in "Faithful Citizenship": "We have a moral obligation to protect the planet on which we live — to respect God's creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for human beings."

How to maintain hope in the face of global warming

by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

Yes, the devil is working hard to lead us to despair over global warming, but the Spirit is also alive in many dedicated people doing exciting work in response to climate change, writes Reese.

Through connection to their land, Tarahumara runners are among Mexico's most beloved champions

by María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press

With no vehicles at hand, Maribel Estrada runs to pick up her children from school, to attend Mass and to visit her mother, who lives 160 miles away.

Muslim pilgrims wrap up Hajj pilgrimage in deadly heat

by Samy Magdy, Associated Press

The Hajj rites have taken place under the soaring summer heat, which has reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.

Hundreds died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say

by Samy Magdy, Associated Press

One list suggested at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj. A 2019 study found that even if the world succeeds in mitigating the worst effects of climate change, the Hajj would be held in temperatures exceeding an "extreme danger threshold" from 2047 to 2052, and from 2079 to 2086.

What's happening in other climate news:

135 million Americans now sweltering in unrelenting heat wave —Michael Loria for USA Today

Air pollution linked to nearly 2,000 child deaths a day: Report —Daniel Lawler for AFP

Pollution from East Palestine train derailment rained down in 16 states, study says —Kasha Patel for The Washington Post

How Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their celebrations of the summer solstice − and using them to resist —Jason E. Ybarra for The Conversation

Catholics lack a clear ethic of hunting. Do we need one? —Rebecca Randall for U.S. Catholic

Final Beat:

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Stephanie Clary
Environment Editor
National Catholic Reporter
sclary@ncronline.org
Instagram: @stephanieclaryncr