Pope Leo XIV praised the Vatican Observatory as an essential witness to the harmony of faith and science, warning that both faith and science now face “a different and perhaps more insidious threat”: the denial of objective truth.
Addressing members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation on May 11 in the Consistory Hall, the Pope thanked them for their “faithful and generous support” of an institution he called “cherished” by the Vatican and at the service of the Holy See and the universal Church.
The Pope recalled that his namesake Leo XIII re-founded the Observatory 135 years ago to show clearly that the Church is “not opposed to true and solid science,” but rather “embrace[s] it, encourage[s] it, and promote[s] it.”
At that time, he said, science was often presented as “a rival source of truth to religion,” prompting the Church to counter the perception that faith and science were enemies. Today, Pope Leo said, the challenge has shifted. Both science and religion, he warned, are threatened by “those who deny the very existence of objective truth.”
He linked that denial to the exploitation of creation and of vulnerable people. The Church and science, he said, both teach that humanity has “a solemn responsibility for the stewardship of our planet and for the welfare of those who dwell upon it, especially the most vulnerable.”
For that reason, he added, the Church’s support for “rigorous, honest science remains not merely valuable, but essential.”
The sky is a gift for everyone
The Pope gave special attention to astronomy, describing the night sky as a gift shared by all people.
“The capacity to gaze with wonder at the sun, the moon, and stars is a gift given to every human being, regardless of station or circumstance,” he said. Such wonder, he added, awakens “a saving sense of proportion” and helps people see their fears and failures “in the light of God’s immensity.”
In one of the address’s most striking passages, Pope Leo called the night sky “a treasury of beauty open to all — rich and poor alike” and “one of the last truly universal sources of joy.”
Yet even that gift is under threat, he warned. Paraphrasing Benedict XVI, the Pope said humanity has “filled our skies with man-made light that blinds us to the lights God has placed there,” an image Benedict had connected to sin itself.
Pope Leo called Buzz Aldrin
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father recalled the “testimony to human ingenuity” that the 1969 mission represents.
Quoting Psalm 8 — “When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you arranged…” — the two men reflected together on the grandeur and fragility of Creation.
A copy of that psalm, in fact, is on the moon — a handwritten copy of it signed by Leo’s predecessor, Paul VI, and left there by Aldrin’s mission.
Read about the conversation here.
Pope Leo thanked the Foundation for helping Vatican scientists engage both the public and the international scientific community. Its support, he said, allows the Observatory to share astronomy with students worldwide and to offer workshops and summer schools for those serving Catholic schools and parishes.
He also emphasized the theological meaning behind the Observatory’s work. Christianity, he said, is “a religion of the Incarnation,” in which God reveals himself through creation and enters creation in Christ. “It is therefore no surprise that people of deep faith feel drawn to explore the origins and workings of the Universe,” the Pope said.
The desire to understand creation, he concluded, is “nothing less than a reflection of that restless longing for God which lies at the heart of every soul.”