The longtime director of the Vatican Observatory will speak on campus Wednesday night on the nature of the evolving universe, covering everything from frogs to humans to the galaxies
The Rev. George V. Coyne's presentation of the first annual Reverend George V. Coyne, S.J., Lecture in Astronomy and Astrophysics, titled "Dance of the Fertile Universe: Chance and Destiny Embrace," will seek to answer two major questions — how the universe came to be and if God had something to do with it.
"It is the inaugural lectureship in what will be an annual lecture," said Ruth Howes, chair of the physics department. "It is remarkable how good of an astronomer Father Coyne is. He has been the long time director of the Vatican Observatory, really the pope's science adviser, a very important spokesperson for both science and the Vatican."
Mercedes Hurley Hughes, an alumna of the College of Arts & Sciences, endowed the money enabling the creation of the lecture series.
"We are very lucky Ms. Hughes has endowed us the money to start such a lecture series," Howes said.
Attendees of the lecture can expect Coyne to explore the issues of evolution, intelligent design and the thoughts of the Catholic Church on the topic.
"Pope John Paul II issued a statement on evolution in 1996 acknowledging that the theories and facts of evolution of human beings 'coincide' with religious faith," said Jame Schaefer, professor in the department of theology. "However, as the pope cautions from a religious faith perspective, while the human body evolved from other forms of life, the human soul was created immediately by God. Theologians have seriously engaged recently in defining the human soul in light of diverse findings given over 200 centuries."
According to Schaefer, the relationship between science and theology is complementary — both seeking truths, but in different ways.
"Science and critical reflection on religious faith and theology seek truth in different ways, science having its own data and theology having its own data," Schaefer said. "The Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church acknowledges from a faith perspective that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Exactly how God created and sustains the universe is not a teaching that falls within the purview of religious faith.
"The basic faith perspective prevails that God continuously sustains the universe in existence, that it would not exist if God did not will its existence and that God has some purpose for sustaining its existence."
According to the Rev. John Laurance, chair of the theology department, the lecture will be a chance to explore and learn more about the topic. In conjunction with Howes, the two have written an editorial to be printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the relationship between theology and science.
The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Alumni Memorial Union Ballroom. The lecture is free and open to the public.