Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ

In a world where faith and science are often seen as opposing forces, Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory, offers a compelling witness to their harmony.

Born in 1978 in Pune, with roots in Pilerne, Goa, Fr. Richard spent his early years in Kuwait before returning to Goa. His vocation to the Society of Jesus began at a Jesuit school. He later pursued Physics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and specialized in Astronomy at the Max Planck Institute, earning a doctorate in the field.

Ordained in India, he has since combined cutting-edge research—on galaxy mergers and the evolution of the Milky Way—with a deep commitment to prayer, community, and ministry. Internationally respected as a scientist and deeply rooted as a Jesuit, he lives both vocations fully.

In this rich and revealing conversation, Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ speaks to Indian Catholic Matters through Br. Malvino Alfonso OCD, sharing his personal journey, the mission of the Vatican Observatory, and the Church’s role in today’s scientific world. He invites us to embrace a faith that seeks understanding, reminding us that the Catholic tradition has always held reason, wonder, and truth together.

This is more than an interview—it is a window into the mind of a priest-scientist whose life bridges the heavens and the human heart. In the following interview, Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ speaks candidly about his journey, scientific work, and vision for the Church’s engagement with science. Excerpts:

Can you share a bit about your early life and what first drew you toward both astronomy and the Jesuit vocation?

Although my family hails from Goa, India, I lived my first 12 years in Kuwait. After the Gulf War in 1990, we returned to Goa, where I studied in a Jesuit school. It was there that I found my vocation to be a Jesuit priest. From a young age, I was always drawn to the sciences and engineering. I joined the Jesuits immediately after school, but my Jesuit Superiors encouraged me to continue my science education in physics.

Initially, I wasn’t focused on astronomy, but gradually my interest grew over time. I read extensively about the work of the Jesuits in Astronomy and the sciences. During my master’s in physics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, my Superiors encouraged me to explore Astronomy as a possible direction, given that the Vatican Observatory had expressed an interest in recruiting me.

I opted to work on my master’s thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, which provided me with a first-hand experience in astronomy research. From that moment on, I was hooked. After completing my ecclesiastical studies in Philosophy and Theology and being ordained as a priest in India, I returned to pursue a doctorate in astronomy. Hence, I discovered the vocation for astronomy within my religious vocation.

How has Indian heritage shaped your journey as a scientist and a Jesuit?

I was inspired by the numerous Jesuit missionaries who served in India. Many of them were great pioneers – writing grammars of the local languages, drawing maps, founding colleges and institutions, as well as documenting and researching the local fauna and flora. It was this dynamic spirit of the Society of Jesus that was my great inspiration.

What was your first personal experience of awe or wonder that led you to pursue astronomy seriously?

I think I caught the bug of research during my Master’s in Physics in Heidelberg. It was this experience of discovering something radically new, which nobody in the world had thought about, that moved me to take astronomy research seriously.

What are your current research interests, and how do they align with the broader mission of the Vatican Observatory?

My current interests include studying the effect of mergers on nearby Milky Way-mass galaxies. One of my main contributions to the field of science is understanding how to decipher the merger history of galaxies. We know that galaxies grow in science by creating new stars, but also by merging with other smaller galaxies due to gravity.

In order to understand how galaxies grow, astronomers would like to reconstruct the merger history of a galaxy, namely, to decipher which smaller galaxies merged with the larger galaxy. This is quite a difficult problem, especially for external galaxies like the Milky Way. Through my research, I was able to show how it was possible to constrain the mass/size of the largest galaxy that merged with the parent galaxy. Recently, I have also become interested in understanding the dwarf satellite population of nearby Milky Way galaxies.

At the Vatican Observatory, each of the researchers is involved in a different research field. The Observatory does not define the research that the Jesuits must do, but each of us is free to pursue the things that interest them. At the end of the day, it is important the we do good and relevant science that is appreciated by the scientific community, and this is the best way we can show that the Church is interested in supporting science, and that faith and science can go together.

The Vatican Observatory has a rich legacy. How do you envision carrying this legacy forward as Director in today’s rapidly evolving scientific environment?

On being appointed to this position as Director of the Observatory, I am aware of the many high-profile Jesuits who have held this position in the past and have paved the way for the Observatory’s success today: I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. My predecessor did a wonderful job of representing the observatory on an international level. His mission was to make sure that the world knows that we are doing great science and working for the Church. I hope to continue in this tradition.

I am also aware that the Specola needs to consider how it can be more effective in the future. The world of astronomy research has dramatically changed in the last 40 years. Today, the frontiers of astronomy are now routinely probed with a) larger and larger telescopes, b) instruments costing millions of euros funded by several countries together, and c) collaborations involving hundreds of scientists.

The Vatican Observatory’s strategic independence does not give it automatic access to projects, instruments, and data funded by European and US research agencies. Yet, our members, through their intellectual capital and collaborative spirit, have been routinely invited to make contributions to these international projects. The challenge going forward is to help our scientific members gain access to these projects so that they can continue to make important scientific contributions on the international stage.

On the other hand, the Observatory, due to its independence, can embark on scientific projects that test or challenge the current mainstream paradigms, or do a type of science that is difficult to fund in other contexts. In the coming years, the Observatory needs to balance the benefits that come from its independence with its ability to collaborate with larger international projects.

How do you balance administrative leadership with your personal research and spiritual commitments?

Balancing administration with my research commitments will be a big challenge in the coming years. So far, I have managed to continue my research in spite of being the Superior of the Jesuit community. However, I do understand that the load as Director of the Observatory is significantly higher. I do hope that I can continue to do research, depending on my scientific colleagues and collaborators.

Living in a Jesuit community helps keep one focused. We have our yearly retreats, and each of us is involved in some spiritual ministry on the weekends. This keeps us balanced and in contact with the local catholic population.

Do you see any emerging fields in science that the Church needs to engage more deeply with today?

The Vatican has been traditionally involved in astronomy since the 16th century, and the present Vatican Observatory serves as a symbol of the Church’s support for the sciences. The Holy See also has the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, which organises numerous conferences and workshops on various themes throughout the year. Yet apart from these two institutions,  it would be very difficult for the Vatican to support other institutions in fields that are much more expensive.

Research in fields like chemistry and biology often involves investment, which includes millions and billions of dollars, a cost usually borne by National Research agencies. It would be far easier for the Church and religious orders to have individuals (priests or religious) working in these top research institutes rather than supporting whole institutes themselves.  Several Catholic Universities also have excellent research institutes in the sciences, and this is another model that can be successful to show the Church’s engagement in the sciences.

In my opinion, three upcoming fields may deserve the Church’s immediate attention: advancements in protein structure (through AI), climate change, and artificial intelligence.

What do you think are the greatest misconceptions people have about the relationship between faith and science?

At a basic level, scientists and the general public often mistakenly believe that the Church opposes science and has actively worked to suppress scientists’ work. They frequently cite Giordano Bruno and Galileo as examples from the 16th century, forgetting that many of these ideas stem from the anti-clerical sentiments of the 17th and 18th centuries. They overlook the large number of clerics and religious individuals who were actively practicing scientists and made many discoveries in those early years.

Among believers, fideism is often rife: there is a common misconception that faith and science are incompatible. They tend to interpret sacred scripture literally, which can be attributed to inadequate catechesis provided by the Church. They forget the documents of the Church, including John Paul II’s “Fides e Ratio”.

How can the Vatican Observatory inspire young Catholics—especially in countries like India—to pursue science without feeling it compromises their faith?

I do hope that the examples of the Jesuit Fathers and Brothers at the Vatican Observatory, who every day go about doing research and seamlessly move between the worlds of science and faith, might inspire young Catholics to see how faith and science can go together.

Most young Catholics do not know about the existence of the Vatican Observatory or of the Church’s rich history in astronomy. The first and most effective way of promoting this dialogue is to make the work of the Vatican Observatory known to these young people.

As Director, what are your plans for expanding collaboration with universities or scientific institutions, especially in the Global South?

The Vatican Observatory constantly collaborates with other Universities and scientific institutions all over the world. We have a number of active collaborations with institutions in the Global South. To mention a few examples: I myself have collaborated with Indian Institutions like St. Xaviers’ College, Mumbai and St. Josephs’ College, Bangalore, and with other institutes in Chile and Argentina. The late Fr. Bill Stoeger SJ actively collaborated with Cape Town University in South Africa. Fr. Risanto works with a team in Saudi Arabia to improve weather models in the Arabian peninsula.

Furthermore, since the 1980s, the Vatican Observatory has held a prestigious biennial month-long summer school for young astronomy students from around the world, with a particular focus on helping students from developing countries launch into academic careers. The schools remain a memorable event in the lives of all our students.

Today, the network of ex-students from these schools extends all around the world: they are well inserted in academic and university positions, and this in turn earns a lot of goodwill for the Observatory and the Church. Not only has the model of these schools been replicated by other institutions, but today we are witnessing the phenomenon in which many of our successful ex-students return to lead future schools as faculty and resource persons – in some way passing on to the next generation what they so freely have received in the past.

We look forward to seeking new ways to collaborate with other Universities and Institutions in the near future.

How do you see the role of the Vatican Observatory in addressing ecological concerns, especially in the spirit of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’?

Traditionally, the Vatican observatory has been concerned with studying the Universe. After the publication of Laudato Si’, we thought it would be a good idea to extend our research also to studying the planet itself. Fr. Bayu Risanto SJ, an Indonesian Jesuit specialized in meteorology and climate change, joined our team in 2024 and will lead the Vatican Observatory’s efforts in studying climate science. He has a lot of active collaborations with researchers around the world, and we expect a lot of good research from Fr. Risanto and his team shortly.

Could you share a meaningful encounter or experience during your time at the Observatory that deepened your sense of purpose?

Over the years, I have had a number of beautiful encounters. We usually have several visitors to the Vatican Observatory, who are curious about our work and who have genuine questions about faith and science. Many of these experiences and the conversion of these people have been moving.

I am always touched by the affection shown to us by our former students of the summer school. They are genuinely grateful to the Jesuits for the opportunity they were given and which made a great mark in their careers.  Moreover, in the last summer school held in June 2025, Pope Leo XIV addressed us and gave us a very moving speech. He asked the students and us to be generous with what we have been freely given. Every summer school, we give our best to our students – we are generous with our time and effort – and it costs us a lot of energy. But the results are beautiful and we can share with them the joy and enthusiasm of doing good science.

Are there any new projects, publications, or missions that you’re particularly excited about in the near future?

Two things from the Observatory stand out for me in the last year: First, Br. Bob Macke was involved in the NASA-led OSIRIS-REx mission, which collected a small sample from the asteroid Bennu and brought it back to earth. Br. Bob, being the world expert in measuring the physical properties of meteorites, was involved in designing and building the instrument to measure these physical properties.

Secondly, Fr. Gabriele Gionti and Fr. Matteo Galaverni of the Vatican Observatory have been working on some exciting research that could shed some light on how we can resolve the problem of quantum gravity, i.e., how to unite the theories of quantum mechanics and gravity. This becomes particularly important in the first few moments after the Big Bang.

On my part, the international team that I am involved in has recently been awarded a lot of time on the James Web Space telescope – to study the outskirts of nearby Milky Way-mass galaxies to study their past merger histories. I am also excited about the Euclid and the WFIRST space mission as well as the Rubin telescope – which will bring in a lot of exciting data.

What is one message you hope people of faith will take away about the Church’s involvement in scientific inquiry?

First, people should remember that the Church has also stood for faith and reason (exemplified by Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio), and that is the way we should always approach the world. Second, we should not be afraid of the sciences, but must embrace them and transform them so that it’s fruits can be made useful to all, especially the most needy. Finally, I would suggest that in the face of many problems, we should not settle for superficial answers but should be people of depth, seeking to understand things and the world more deeply.

In a world governed by social media algorithms and reels, we should resist looking for cheap, fast, and ready answers, but seek a “depth of thought and imagination” (Fr. Adolfo Nicolas SJ, former superior-general of the Society of Jesus). This should be the hallmark of the Church’s engagement in the sciences.  I firmly believe that this is the only way we can find lasting solutions to the world’s problems.

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