VATICAN - THE CHURCH NEEDS SCIENCE AND SCIENCE NEEDS RELIGION

Vatican City (Fides Service) – “The Church reaffirms the legitimate autonomy of science and her appreciation for this eminent form of human knowledge, recognising her own errors committed in the past. Also in the world of science there are evident symptoms of an inversion of tendency with regard to religion. A hostile attitude of positivism scientism would appear to be a thing of the past. Scientific progress has made science more aware of its limits, it insufficiency”. This was said by Cardinal Paul Poupard President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who spoke on May 12 at a Study Meeting at the Pontifical Lateran University to mark the 1,000th anniversary since the death of Pope Silvester II (Gerbert d’Aurillac). The Meeting was also the occasion of the presentation of a Project Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest involving a number of Pontifical Universities.
“The Church has need of science and science has need of religions – said Cardinal Poupard -. The Church desires to help scientists avoid the temptation of offering an omni-comprehensive vision of the universe and man, marginalising other forms of knowledge. Science needs to re-discover its sapiential dimension, as John Paul II often affirms, that is, science allied with conscience so that in the trinominal of science-technology-conscience the cause of the authentic good of man, the whole man and all men may be served ”. In this context the Pontifical Council for Culture is promoting the above mentioned Project which intends to foster confrontation of thought between Christian Churches and communities with the world of science. AP (Fides Service 13/5/2003 EM lines 20 Words: 278)