THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY - 710L At the Intersection of Faith and Science
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710L
At the Intersection of Faith and Science
BY MICHELLE FEDER, ADAPTED BY NEWSELA
THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY
THE POPE’S VACATION HOME IS CASTEL GANDOLFO,
OUTSIDE ROME. THIS QUIET MONASTERY SITS ON A
HILL. IT IS A PERFECT PLACE TO LOOK AT AND THINK
ABOUT THE SKY.
COVER: Frescoed RIGHT: Castel
ceiling with windrose Gandolfo, Italy
and anenometer at the
Tower of the Winds
in Vatican City in Rome
CASTEL GANDOLFO is also home to the ing religion and science for more than
Vatican Observatory. This observatory is 100 years. Its library holds more than
one of the oldest in the world. It is run by 22,000 books. It includes historic works
the Catholic Church. Since 1891, the by Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and
pope’s astronomers have been using the Kepler. Every summer, the astronomers
observatory to study the night sky. They at the observatory update the pope on
have one of the oldest telescopes in the their work.
world.
“The Church has a serious interest in un-
They hope to use science to answer a derstanding the Universe and everything
question that occurs to all people: How in it,” said Father George Coyne. Father
did the Universe begin? What is our place Coyne used to run the Observatory.
in it?
In his view, “True science, good science,
The Vatican Observatory has been bridg- does not conflict with religious belief.”
BIG HISTORY PROJECT THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY 2 OF 7
“The Church has A HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
Today, the Catholic Church supports
his ideas. Galileo himself was punished
with house arrest. He died in 1642, still
MOVING TO ARIZONA
Today, the telescopes at Castel Gandolfo
a serious interest astronomy. But in the past, this was not
always true. In the 1600s, Italian astron-
not allowed to leave his house. are rarely used for astronomical research.
They are usually used by visiting groups
in understanding omer Galileo Galilei challenged the teach-
ings of the past. Galileo observed the sky.
Since then though, the Church has sup-
ported astronomy. Popes set up three
or students. The Vatican’s serious research
now takes place in Arizona.
the Universe He concluded that the Sun was the cen- different observatories in the 1700s and
and everything
ter of our Solar System. 1800s. Eventually, the skies around Rome be-
came too bright. The Vatican set up an
in it.” But the Church supported the Earth-cen-
tric views of Ptolemy and Aristotle. It did
Vatican astronomers made a major break-
through in the mid-1800s. Father Angelo
observatory in Arizona. The skies there
are very dark and clear. It’s a perfect place
not accept Galileo’s new ideas. Secchi was the first to sort stars based for stargazing. The Vatican’s telescope
on their spectra. The spectra were deter- there is cutting-edge.
THIS PAGE: The VATT
telescope on In 1542, the Church began the Inquisition. mined by the color of light they give off.
Mount Graham, Arizona Authorities in the Church investigated Modern spectroscopy is very important in “We are priests and religious men, but we
religious questions. The Inquisition found astronomy today. also are scientists. Astronomy is our main
Galileo’s writings about the Earth revolv- service to the Church,” said observatory
ing around the Sun incorrect. They banned director Jose G. Funes.
THE CHURCH RECONSIDERS GALILEO Pope Benedict XVI said in 2008 that the LEFT: Portrait
of Galileo Galilei
Even today, the subject of Galileo is tricky Church’s decision against Galileo made
for the Church. In 1992, Pope John Paul II sense. Many did not welcome his remarks. CENTER: The
Copernican model
showed regret for the way Galileo had
of the Universe
been treated. Later, he called for a bal- Rachel Hilliam authored a book on Gali-
ance between faith and reason. “Faith leo. She wrote that Galileo never turned RIGHT: Portrait of
Nicolaus Copernicus
and reason are like two wings on which away from the Catholic faith. He was “not
the human spirit rises to the contempla- trying to start a conflict between science
tion of truth,” he wrote in a letter. and religion,” she wrote. “He believed that
the Bible was there to instruct people in
But the balance between faith and reason how to get to heaven and was not meant
is sometimes difficult for popes. to be a scientific book explaining how the
Universe worked.”
BIG HISTORY PROJECT THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY 4 OF 7
THIS PAGE: Jesuit RIGHT: Father BOTTOM RIGHT: A
priest astronomers Emmanuel Carreira 1.8-meter honey-
using the telescope using the telescope combed mirror crafted
at the Vatican at the Vatican for the VATT at the
Observatory in Castel Observatory in Castel University of Arizona
Gandolfo in 1946 Gandolfo in 2005
“We are priests and religious men,
but we also are scientists…Astronomy
is our main service to the church.”
SOURCES IMAGE CREDITS
The frescoed ceiling Jesuit priests Brother Matthew Timmer
BBC News. “Papal visit scuppered by scholars.” January 15, 2008. http://news.bbc.
of the Tower of the Winds and Father Walter J. Miller at the Vatican
co.uk/2/hi/7188860.stm.
© Bob Sacha/Corbis Observatory in Castel Gandolfo in 1946
© Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS
Consolmagno, Brother Guy. Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist.
Castel Gandolfo, Italy
New York : McGraw-Hill, 2000.
© Morton Beebe/CORBIS Father Emmanuel Carreira at the Vatican
Observatory in Castel Gandolfo in 2005
Consolmagno, Brother Guy. God’s Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make
The VATT facilities on Mount Graham, © TONY GENTILE/Reuters/Corbis
Sense of Religion. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2008.
Arizona, courtesy of the Vatican
Observatory and Alex Lovell-Troy A 1.8-meter mirror crafted
Farndon, John. From Ptolemy’s Spheres to Dark Energy: Discovering the Universe.
for the VATT telescope
Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2007.
An undated portrait of Galileo © Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS
© Bettmann/CORBIS
Hilliam, Rachel. Galileo Galilei: Father of Modern Science. New York: The Rosen
Publishing Group, 2005.
Copernicus’s view of the Solar
System from the 1661 Harmonica
John Paul II. Evangelium Vitae. Encyclical letter on the relationship between faith and
Macrocosmia by Cellarius
reason. Vatican website. September 14, 1998. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_
© Bettmann/CORBIS
paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_15101998_fides-et-ratio_en.html.
An engraving of Copernicus
Stiles, Lori. “Cardinal Who Oversees the Vatican Observatory Will Visit Tucson.”
© Copernicus/PoodlesRock/CORBIS
UA News, University of Arizona Communications, January 28, 2009.
Vatican Observatory, 2011 Annual Report.
Vatican Observatory Newsletter, Fall 2009.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY 6 OF 7
Articles leveled by Newsela have been adjusted along several dimensions of text complexity including sentence structure, vocabulary and organization. The number followed by L indicates the Lexile measure of the article. For more information on Lexile measures and how they correspond to grade levels: http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/ To learn more about Newsela, visit www.newsela.com/about. The Lexile® Framework for Reading The Lexile® Framework for Reading evaluates reading ability and text complexity on the same developmental scale. Unlike other measurement systems, the Lexile Framework determines reading ability based on actual assessments, rather than generalized age or grade levels. Recognized as the standard for matching readers with texts, tens of millions of students worldwide receive a Lexile measure that helps them find targeted readings from the more than 100 million articles, books and websites that have been measured. Lexile measures connect learners of all ages with resources at the right level of challenge and monitors their progress toward state and national proficiency standards. More information about the Lexile® Framework can be found at www.Lexile.com. BIG HISTORY PROJECT THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY 7 OF 7
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