Pope Francis' call to the International Space Station shows there is no conflict between the faith and science (Full Transcript)

The heavens declare the glory of God.

Pope Francis spoke with the crew of the International Space Station on Thursday. The Holy Father asked each of the crew how the experience has changed their view of the world.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Pope Francis called the International Space Station on Thursday in a half-hour video discussion that was broadcast live on the Vatican's You Tube feed. The Pope spoke Italian, and his words were translated to the crew by 60-year-old Italian astronaut, Paolo Nespoli.

Crew commander Randolph Bresnik told the Pope: "People cannot come up here and see the indescribable beauty of the Earth and not be touched in their souls. There are no borders, no conflicts, it's just peaceful." He added that the Earth seems so fragile when looking at how thin the atmosphere is.

‽What gives me the greatest joy," Bresnik explained, is to look outside every day and see God's creation, maybe a little bit from His perspective."

Other astronauts shared their experiences and why they decided to pursue careers in space.

The call is an important gesture. It serves to illustrate that there is no conflict between faith and science, as many people claim. In fact, it shows that faith and science are not only compatible with each other, but they are essential. Scientists and philosophers often debate this question with some claiming that science makes faith obsolete, and other arguing that faith and science should be kept separate. The Church's view is that faith is essential to science and that science can help us understand and appreciate our faith.

The Catholic Church supports the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which is headquartered at the Vatican. The Academy is the single oldest, continually operating scientific mission in the world. The Church also operates observatories as well as a host of universities around the world. Those universities graduate thousands of scientists each year.

The Church is advised by the global scientific community when making decisions. The Church has acknowledged the Big Bang, evolution, and global warming as important scientific discoveries. The Big Bang Theory was in fact first proposed by a Catholic Jesuit priest, Georges Lemaitre in 1927.

These scientific theories do not undermine a proper understanding of the faith, rather they advance it when properly understood. The creative power of God is limitless and vast, beyond our full comprehension. However, science can shed some light on the processes God has used to create and govern the universe. As we understand the universe better, we gain more insight into God, who has brought a universe from nothingness, order from chaos, and biological life from non-life.

And now, as the crew of the Space Station can attest, the heavens declare the glory of God.

DIALOGUE OF
HIS HOLINESS FATHER FRANCESCO WITH THE EQUIPMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Aulette Paul VI Hall
Thursday, October 26, 2017

[ Multimedia ]

 

Holy Father :

Good morning you all!

Dr. Paolo Nespoli :

His Holiness, Good Morning. Welcome to the International Space Station, among us, between the Ships 52 and 53.

Holy Father:

Good morning ... or good night ... why, when you are in space, you never know! Caro dr. Nespoli, dear astronauts, I think that there are different days in the Space Station, right? I thank you and those who have organized this link, which gives me the opportunity to "meet you" and ask you some questions.

I begin with the first question.

(Question 1. ) Astronomy makes us contemplate the boundless horizons of the universe, and raises questions in us: where are we from? where do we go? I ask you, Dr. Nespoli: in the light of your experiences in space, what is your thought in place of man in the universe?

Dr. Nespoli :

Holy Father, this is a complex question. I feel like a technical person, an engineer, I am comfortable in the machines, between the experiments; but when we talk about these things much more internally - "where are we from ..." - I'm also perplexed. It is a very delicate speech. I think our goal here is to know our being, to fill our knowledge, to understand what's around us. And among other things is an interesting thing, because the more we know the more we realize we know little. I would love that people like you, not just engineers, not just physicists, but people like you - theologians, philosophers, poets, writers ... - can come here in space, and this will surely be the future, I would love to come here to explore what it means to have a human being in space.

Holy Father : It's true what you say.

( Question 2 ) In this room I am talking about, there is - as you see - an artistic tapestry inspired by the famous verse with which Dante concludes the Divine Comedy: " The love that moves the sun and the stars " ( Paradiso , XXXIII, 145). I ask you: what is the sense for you, that you are all engineers and astronauts, as you said well, what is the sense for you to call "love" the force that moves the universe?

Dr. Nespoli: Holy Father, I would like to leave my word to my Russian colleague Aleksandr Misurkin, who will address you to Russian.

[Russian words]

Holy Father, I hope we did not surprise him with the Russian: Do you have the ability to have a translation there or do we need to synthesize it quickly?

Holy Father:

It is best to synthesize quickly.

Dr. Nespoli:

My colleague Aleksandr has made a very nice answer in Russian, which I will now turn out a bit like this, quickly. He refers to a book he is reading these days above, to reflect, "The little prince" of Saint-Exupéry. He refers to the story that he would gladly - or would willingly - make his own life to return and save plants and animals on earth. And, basically, love is that force that gives you the ability to give your life to someone else.

Holy Father:

I like this answer. It is true, without love, you can not give up your life for someone else. This is true. You see that you understand the message that so poetically explains Saint-Exupéry and that you, Russians, have in your blood, in your humanistic and so religious tradition. It's great, this one. Thank you.

(Question 3 ) This is a curiosity. They say that women are curious, but we men are also curious! What has motivated you to become astronauts? What gives you the most joy over time in the space station?

Dr. Nespoli: Holy Father, I would leave the microphone with two colleagues: Russian colleague Sergei Ryazansky and American counterpart Randy Bresnik.

[Dr. Ryazansky talks in English]

Nespoli translates:  Sergei said that his inspiration was his grandfather: his grandfather was one of the first pioneers in space; he worked on Sputnik satellite, the first satellite flew on Earth; He was one of the leaders in the construction of the satellite, and he took inspiration from his grandfather, wanted to follow his tracks, because in his opinion the space is interesting and beautiful, but also very important to us as human beings.

[ Bresnik speaks English]

Nespoli : What I see from here is an incredible prospect: it is the opportunity to see Earth a little with the eyes of God, and to see the beauty and the incredibility of this planet.

[Bresnik continues in English]

Nespoli translates : In our orbital speed of 10 km per second, we see Earth with different eyes: we see a boundless Earth, we see a Earth where the atmosphere is extremely fine and labile, and watching this Earth in this way allows us to to think like human beings, how we should all work together and work together for a better future.

Holy Father:

In this answer I really liked what you two said. She, the first, went to her roots to explain this: she went to her grandfather. And she, who comes from America, has been able to understand that Earth is too fragile, it's a passing moment: 10 km per second, Dr. Nespoli ... It is a very fragile, subtle reality, so that it can be destroyed. And you just went to look with God's eyes. Grandpa and God: the roots and our hope, our strength. Never forget the roots: it's good to hear this, and hear it from you! Thank you.

( Question 4 ) I would like to ask you another question: Traveling in space modifies many things that are taken for granted in everyday life, for example the idea of "up" and "down". I ask you: is there anything in particular that living in the Space Station has surprised you? And what is the opposite of something that has struck you precisely because it has also been confirmed there, in such a different context?

Nesoli : Thank you, Holy Father, for this question. I would like to leave the floor to his colleague, American Mark Vande Hei.

[Vande Hey speaks English]

Nespoli translates : Mark says that what surprised him is that there are completely different things in the space that seem the same but not recognizable. Every now and then I approach something from a completely different angle and at the beginning I'm a bit puzzled, because I can not figure out where I am, to figure out what it is. What has not changed, however, is that even here where there is no more "up" and "down", to be able to figure out where I am and find myself in this situation I have to decide where the "up" is and where the "down". And then establish my micro-cosmos, my micro-universe with my senses and my reference systems.

Holy Father:

And this is a real human thing: the ability to decide , decision. The answer seems interesting to me, because it also goes to human roots.

( Question 5 ) And now, if you have the courtesy to listen, I will ask another question. Our society is very individualistic, and in cooperation with life is essential. I think of all the work that's behind a business like yours. Can you give me some significant examples of your collaboration in the Space Station?

Nespoli: Holy Father, a great question. I would leave the question to American counterpart Joe Acaba, who is of Puerto Rican descent.

Joe Acaba : Holy Father, a great honor hablar with Usted ... [continue in English]

Nespoli : Joe recalled that for this station there is cooperation between different nations of the world: there are the United States, there is Russia, Japan, Canada, nine European nations ... And he recalled how these nations work together to get something that is above each of them. But one of the important and interesting things that he said is the fact that each one of us brings a diversity and these diversity together make a much larger set of what the single person would be; and working together in this collaborative spirit to go further, this is the way for us, as human beings, to go out of the world and continue this journey into knowledge.

Holy Father:

You are a small "Glass Palace"! The totality is larger than the sum of the parts, and this is the example you give us.

Thank you so much, dear friends, I would like to say, dear brothers, because we feel like representatives of the whole human family in the great research project that is the Space Station. Thank you very much for this interview, which has greatly enriched me. The Lord blesses you, your work, and your families. I assure you: I will pray for you; and you, please pray for me. Thank you!

Dr. Nespoli: Holy Father, on behalf of all, I want to thank you for being with us today, on the International Space Station. This is a place where we do a lot of research, where we go looking for everyday things. I thank you for being with us and taking us higher and pulling us out of this day-to-day mechanics, making me think of things bigger than us. Thanks again!

Holy Father:

Thanks to you!

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