Vatican cardinal: Respect science

Now this is a surprise!

Vatican cardinal: Respect science

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican cardinal said Thursday the faithful should listen to what secular modern science has to offer, warning that religion risks turning into "fundamentalism" if it ignores scientific reason.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, who heads the Pontifical Council for Culture, made the comments at a news conference on a Vatican project to help end the "mutual prejudice" between religion and science that has long bedeviled the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican project was inspired by Pope John Paul II's 1992 declaration that the church's 17th-century denunciation of Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

Poupard said science, too, should listen to religion: "We know where scientific reason can end up by itself: The atomic bomb and the possibility of cloning human beings are fruit of a reason that wants to free itself from every ethical or religious link."

"But we also know the dangers of a religion that severs its links with reason and becomes prey to fundamentalism."

"The faithful have the obligation to listen to that which secular modern science has to offer, just as we ask that knowledge of the faith be taken in consideration as an expert voice in humanity."

[edit on 4-11-2005 by loam]

Why is this a suprise? Christianity has not only embrased science, but has done a lot to further it. This debate went into detail about the contributions Christianity has offered to science over the years.

On top of all that, if Christianity couldn't be backed by any science, I would not be a Christian; it would be a false religion. There are some theories that Christians in particular may question (though they're not the only ones), but that doesn't mean there's a general disrespect or dismissal of science.

Why is it a surprise? THe RCC as an institution embraces science, JPII was a big follower of science, had an observatory active in his papal apartments, and conveyed at least one annual scientific conference personally (that I know of) while he was pope.


I'll agree that in the dark ages the RCC was pretty anti-science, but, yeesh, its been a long time no??

Originally posted by junglejake
if Christianity couldn't be backed by any science, I would not be a Christian;

Yes you are.

Originally posted by spamandham

Originally posted by junglejake
if Christianity couldn't be backed by any science, I would not be a Christian;

Yes you are.

Profound dude