I have been following the controversy over the Pope's visit to Rome's oldest University. See Wacko Leftist Italian Students Pledge-We Shall Not Allow The Pope To Enter!!! and More On Wacko Italian Students Protesting Pope Benedict . As you can see my comment section is getting lively bu people that are saying no to Pappa.
It looks like this story is starting to get International. John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter is picking it up here at The pope, modern science, and a canary in the coal mine. I think Allen shows pretty much these attacks are unfair.
In media interviews, the professors have also cited Benedict’s recent encyclical, Spe Salvi, as hostile to modern science......As for Spe Salvi, here’s what Benedict wrote about science:
“Francis Bacon and those who followed in the intellectual current of modernity that he inspired were wrong to believe that man would be redeemed through science. Such an expectation asks too much of science; this kind of hope is deceptive. Science can contribute greatly to making the world and mankind more human. Yet it can also destroy mankind and the world unless it is steered by forces that lie outside it.”
Whatever one makes of that, it’s hard to construe it as an attack on science and reason.
Moreover, there’s plenty of evidence that Benedict XVI is not hostile to science, as long as it doesn’t pretend to render religious faith irrelevant. The pope recently appointed a Princeton hydrologist to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, for example, who strongly supports the theory of evolution and the science of global warming.
Now read the whole thing. He also talks about reacton to a 18 year speech he made on Gallieo and the fact that perhaps the Pope shouldbe more clear in his language. I disagree with a tad. In fact very much. But Allen does have a point that the there will be a reaction to the Holy Father's word when on purpose he says things that sound "provactive" in order to jump start discussion.
I do not want to post the full articles from the Italian Press but I thing they are instructive. They are available on the Ratzinger forum here. I think those are all good reads.
They include:
Elementary particles: Voltaire's words apply to the Pope as well which is a Editoral from Corriere della Sera
Those scientists who would censor the Pope without having read him at all By Andrea Tornielli Il Giornale
"There is no place for the Pope among men of science" By FLAVIA AMABILE which appeared in La Stampa. This is from the dissent and those that wish to block the Pope's visit.
A SCIENTIST AND A STUDENT SPEAK OUT FROM LA SAPIENZA from the Italian service of Vatican Radio which is a Scientist speaking out for the Holy Fathers Visit
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE RECTOR OF LA SAPIENZA also from Vatican Radio.
Pope set to face 'sonic siege' during visit to Rome university which is from DPA a German News Agency English News Service
Scientists protest against Pope from the London Times
Be sue to see the important entry BENEDICT XVI ON GALILEO AND SCIENCE, REASON AND FAITH.
ANTI-POPE GRAFFITI AT LA SAPIENZA .
Vatican Radio protests attempted 'censorhip' of the Pope from Avvenire.
A professor who opposes his colleagues' dissent says: Read Ratzinger first By PAOLO VIANA Avvenire
University staff and students protest against papal visit from AKI
I think all these should be read in concert with John Allen's column. To the Italian students and allies sending me EMAIL , I suggest you try to prove your case better. Censoring Opinion just smells of fear on your part. I laughed at loud this morning when I read a comment on the blog that said the Pope's main job is to keep poor people happy and he should stick to that. Well of course that just stinks to high heaven of the the Marxist "religion is the opium of the masses" nonsense.
I find it striking that some of Europe's leading atheists have entered into productive dialogue that on such issues as the ID of Europe and to the rise of Islam in Europe. All have benefited the general discussion. The Holy Father and the Vatican are trying to engage some of Islam's leading scholars in order that we can all live together on this tiny planet. I have a feeling they are not engaging you because well you probally feel about them as you do the Pope. Well to say the least that is not productive.
Is John Allen right when he says "It’s tempting indeed to see this as one of those “only-in-Italy” dust-ups." but indeed it is not?
Perhaps it is. However I think this shows an arrogance of people that proclaim this subset of people have no right in the public square or in Science. It is in the end doomed to failure
What a pity some scientists accept so uncritically accepted accounts of historical episodes. Benedict was quite right about Galileo. What view should be taken of a man who asserted "To me alone it is given to know the secreta of the heavens", who could not account for the fact that at his time the furthest stars always appeared in the same place while saying that the earth was in orbit, who said the earth was revolving round a point which revolved round the sun - he followed Copernicus not Kepler, who could not account for the fact that objects did not fly off a rapidly moving earth, and who repaid Pope Urban's friendship by putting his arguments in the mouth of a fool in th "Dialogue of the Two World Systems. At the time there was no good scientific reason to reject Ptolemy's system. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Physicists should learn some history.
ReplyDelete