New Indian head of Vatican Observatory to blend science with faith

Indian Jesuit Father Richard D’Souza, the new director of the Vatican Observatory, says he will continue the tradition of Vatican astronomers who demonstrated how science and faith can co-exist. The 47-year-old Jesuit from western Goa state said he stands “on the shoulders of giants who have served before,” and the job is to lead the Observatory “in promoting dialogue between faith and science.” He told on Aug. 4 that the Observatory “is inter-nationally recognized because of the quality of our research and the renowned month-long biennial summer schools that we organi-ze.” Pope Leo XIV appointed D’Souza on July 31 to succeed Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who ends his 10-year term as the director of the Observatory on Sept. 19.
D’Souza, who joined the Observatory in 2016, wants to ensure that the Observatory “continues to serve the Pope and the Universal Church, promoting the dialogue between faith and science, through solid scientific research.” He said the Observa-tory, one of the world’s oldest as-tronomical institutions, continues to be independent and does not accept funding from international agencies or global science foundations of major powers.
The Vatican Observatory was engaged in several research projects aimed at advancing discoveries in astronomy and space science. In June this year, a special committee of the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after D’Souza in honour of his research on the merger histories of galaxies. This asteroid was discovered by K. Cernis and Jesuit Father R. P. Boyle with the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham in 2012. Founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII, the Observatory aims to conduct research encompassing stars, meteorites, galaxies, cosmology, and the early universe, while fostering dialogue among science, theology, and the Church’s intellectual tradition.