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Image: Millikan, Lemaître and Einstein after Lemaître’s lecture at the California Institute of Technology in 1933.
Pope Francis’ address to the 2024 Lemaître conference of the Vatican Observatory
Hall of Popes – Thursday, 20 June 2024
“God is always a “hidden God”, shrouded in mystery and never fully transparent to human reason”.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I greet His Eminence Cardinal Vérgez and Sister General Secretary.
(Now women are starting to be in charge here!)
I warmly welcome you and I thank you for your kind visit.
In a special way, I thank Brother Guy Consolmagno and to the other members of the community of the Vatican Observatory for their work in promoting this initiative.
You are meeting in Castel Gandolfo for the Conference on “Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Space-Time Singularities” organized in honor of Monsignor Georges Lemaître.
In the seven years since the last conference, the scientific contributions of this Belgian priest and cosmologist have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union, which has decided that the well-known Hubble Law should be properly renamed the Hubble-Lemaître law.
During these days, you have discussed the latest issues raised by scientific research in cosmology: the differing results obtained in the measurement of the Hubble constant, the puzzling nature of certain cosmological singularities (from the Big Bang to Black Holes) and the very timely issue of gravitational waves.
The Church seeks to follow and encourage these discussions, because they stimulate the interest and reflection of men and women in today’s world.
The origin of the universe, its ultimate evolution and the profound structure of space and time, raise a series of serious questions about the meaning of life.
They also present us with an immense scenario in which it is easy to lose one’s bearings.
In this sense, we can appreciate the relevance of the Psalmist’s exclamation:
“When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him? , you have made him little less than a God; with glory and honour you have crowned him” (Ps 8:4-7). Nor can we fail to appreciate the importance of these issues for theology, philosophy, science and the spiritual life.
Georges Lemaître was an exemplary priest and scientist.
His human and spiritual journey offers a model of life from which we can all learn.
Out of respect for his father’s wishes, Lemaître first studied engineering.
He served in the First World War and saw its horrors at first hand.
Later, he pursued his vocation to the priesthood and science.
At first, he tended towards “concordism”, the belief that there are veiled references to scientific truths are present in the Scriptures
Greater experience and spiritual maturity led him to realize that science and faith are two distinct and parallel paths, which are not in conflict.
Indeed, the two paths prove to be complementary, that is, for the believer, science and faith are grounded alike in the absolute truth of God.
Lemaître’s journey of faith led him to realize that “creation” and “the big bang” are two different realities and that the God in whom he believed could never be reduced to an object neatly catalogued by human reason.
Rather, he is always a Deus absconditus, a “hidden God”, shrouded in mystery and never fully transparent to human reason.
Dear friends, I urge you to continue to investigate, with sincerity and humility, the important issues that you are currently discussing.
May the freedom and lack of conditioning that you have experienced in this Conference help you to advance in your various fields towards that truth which is surely a reflection of God’s eternal love.
Faith and science can be united in charity, provided that science is put at the service of the men and woman of our time and not misused to harm or even destroy them.
I encourage you, then, to press forward to the outer limits of human knowledge. For there, we can come to experience the God of love, who fulfils the deepest longings of the human heart.
From my heart, I bless you and your work. And I ask you, in turn, please pray for me. Thank you.
