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(CNS PHOTO FROM NASA VIA REUTERS)
Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
This picture of Earth was taken by the sixth and final Apollo lunar-landing mission on Dec. 7, 1972.
Pope encourages scientists to value the sharing of knowledge By John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II said scientific researchers always should value the sharing of knowledge over competition and financial gain. He made the remarks Nov. 8 in a talk to members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, who were meeting in a plenary session devoted to the theme of science and creativity. The pope said that, in a sense, scientists are called to be “co-creators” with God as they use their knowledge and skill to shape the cosmos in harmony with a divine plan. Such creativity must be exercised responsibly, he said. It “demands respect for the natural order and, above all, for the nature of each human being,” he said. Increasingly, the pope said, scientific progress is seen as
the answer to modern problems, many of which have planetary repercussions. As a result, the men and women of science are asked to place their creativity more at the service of the human family, he said. “If scientific creativity is to benefit authentic human progress, it must remain detached from every form of financial or ideological conditioning, so that it can be devoted solely to the dispassionate search for truth and the disinterested service of humanity,” he said. “Creativity and new discoveries ought to bring both the scientific community and the world’s peoples together, in a climate of cooperation which values the generous sharing of knowledge over (competitiveness) and individual interests,” he said. The pope said scientists generally understand that
nature contains a deeper meaning that invites patient observation and dialogue. The wonder that sparked the earliest philosophical reflection on nature continues today in other kinds of pioneering work, he said. “Contemporary scientists, faced with the explosion of new knowledge and discoveries, frequently feel that they are standing before a vast and infinite horizon,” he said. “Indeed, the inexhaustible bounty of nature, with its promise of ever new discoveries, can be seen as pointing beyond itself to the Creator who has given it to us as a gift,” he said. He told the scientists that the paths of discovery “are always paths toward truth.” “And every seeker after truth, whether aware of it or not, is following a path which ultimately leads to God, who is truth itself,” he said.
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Post-Arafat fears. . . . . . . . . 4 Pope on ‘real presence’ . . . . 5 Marriage issue helps Bush . 6 Scripture and reflection . . . 8 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Presentation Sisters celebrate 150 years ~ Page 3 ~ November 11, 2004
Jubilarians 2004 Women Religious ~ Pages 9-11, 14-19 ~
Catholics and Judaism. . . . 21
Books for Winter ~ Pages 12-13 ~
FIFTY CENTS
Movie review . . . . . . . . . . 22
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 6
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