Cardinal Poupard: Books Prove Church's Interest
VATICAN CITY, MAY 8, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Paul Poupard presented the first four volumes of the Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest project, an organization founded to integrate theology and science through philosophical reflection.
The Pontifical Council for Culture presented the books from STOQ today. The project involves the work of six pontifical universities in Rome and other European universities.
The STOQ project is a program of teaching, research and cultural exchange coordinated by that dicastery, under the guidance of its president, Cardinal Poupard.
The initiative began with a pontifical commission to study the Galileo case (1981-1992) instituted by Pope John Paul II. The project came to fruition in 2003, also drawing from the year 2000's Jubilee of Scientists.
The project responds to John Paul II's desire to use philosophical reflection to integrate theology and science to promote dialogue.
Stereotypes
Cardinal Poupard underlined the fact that the presentation of the volumes coincides with the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Council for Culture by John Paul II.
"These publications overcome one of the most common and deeply rooted stereotypes about the Church in today's mentality, which says the Church has a lack of interest in science, and is even averse to science," the cardinal said.
Two of the volumes each had a single author: "Some Mathematical Physics for Philosophers," by Michael Heller, which offers a panoramic view of the mathematical methods used in physics; and "Life and Organisms," by Pietro Ramellini, a collection of historical-critical definitions of living organisms recorded in the last two centuries, since biology became a science.
The other two volumes are a collection of essays by authors who participated in two workshops organized respectively by the Pontifical Gregorian University (on the relationship between science and philosophy) and at the Regina Apostolorum university (on the concepts of life and organism).
Cardinal Poupard said that due to "mutual suspicions between science and faith" that formed four centuries ago, "a new mentality of interdisciplinary research is needed to re-establish a relationship of interaction … a style of research where intuitions that come from faith can be considered a resource and added stimulus for the natural sciences and, vice versa, where scientific data enables us to better understand relevant truths."
Speakers at the book presentation included Cardinal Poupard; Ramellini, a professor in the master's program in Science and Faith at Regina Apostolorum; Gennaro Auletta, scientific director of the STOQ project and professor at the Gregorian University; and Monsignor Melchor Sánchez de Toca y Alameda, director of the STOQ project and undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
Scholarships
The study is financed by the John Templeton Foundation and other sponsors.
It aims to establish exchange programs for professors and students from centers such as the University of Navarre in Spain, the University of Lublin in Poland and the University of Namur in Belgium.
Cardinal Poupard pointed out that, thanks to this project, known as STOQ I and STOQ II, some 650 students from 56 countries participated and 11 doctoral thesis were presented, along with dozens of licentiate theses.
There were 70 public conferences and 12 workshops, together with the international congress in 2005 on "Infinity in Science, Philosophy and Theology," which brought together more than 3,000 people from various countries.
Estimates predict that 1,400 students will participate in the study program offered by STOQ in the next three years, not counting guest participants at the international conference on "Ontogenesis and Human Life" which will be held Nov. 15-17 at Regina Apostolorum.
Code: ZE07050803
Date: 2007-05-08