There is equanimity between Pope Benedict XVI and British cosmologist Stephen Hawkings when they briefly met on Friday, October 31, 2008 in a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In the meeting whose theme was “Scientific Insights into the Evolution of the Universe and of Life,” the 81 year-old supreme leader of the Catholic Church and the reknown astro-physics professor of Cambridge seem to agree on God.
Wheel-chair bound and stricken by a severe debilitating neuro-muscular disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS,) Hawkings, author of the book “A Brief History of Time” said:
“”I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science….The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws.”
For his part Pope Benedict XVI said, “”There is no opposition between faith’s understanding of creation and the evidence of the empirical sciences.” Reuters-Yahoo.com (10/31/08 Stewarts, P; Bosley E)
The continuing dialogue of religion and science continues as humanity tries to understand its origin and the purpose of the cosmos. The Catholic Church accepts the theory of evolution as part of God’s plan for the universe and maintains there is no contradiction between faith and empirical science.
By itself, science is profound and has done astounding progress to advance mankind through the ages, yet the concept of God can even be greater. For all the wonders of human discovery, the mind of God may be way beyond what science can possibly comprehend. (Photo Credits: by http://www.joysf; Vatican; Ossevatore Romano; Reuters)=0=
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