Paul KeenanA member of the Vatican Observatory has been honoured for his “outstanding” work in astronomy
Jesuit Br Guy Consolmagno, who is also the curator of the Vatican’s meteorite collection has been named a recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal, bestowed by the American Astronomical Society, which cited the Jesuit’s “outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist” in describing him as “the voice of the juxtaposition of planetary science and astronomy with Christian belief, a rational spokesperson who can convey exceptionally well how religion and science can co-exist for believers”.
Responding to news of his award, Br Consolmagno urged other Catholic scientists to convey their passion for their fields of study to better demonstrate that the Church is not anti-science.
“Show them that our religion does not tell us what ‘facts’ we can believe, but rather our religion gives us the reason why we go looking to try to understand those facts,” he said.
A much respected astronomer, Br Consolmagno is best known for his astronomy guide, Turn Left at Orion, and his presenting of the BBC radio programme on the subject, A Brief History of the End of Everything.