Cardinal Wuerl on the Church and Science

"Do faith and the Catholic Church in particular have anything to offer reason and science?  Some people think that they contradict one another, and that one cannot be committed both to science and be a faithful believer.  Actually, 'there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason,' and there is no conflict between faith and true science (CCC 159). Moreover, the Church has historically actively supported the sciences, and many Catholic faithful have led the way in astronomy, cosmology, physics, chemistry, genetics, mathematics, and even the scientific method itself.

"Christian faith, reason and science are all rooted in truth and need one another.  Perhaps the most apt point of departure to understand this is the opening of the Gospel of John, which speaks of Jesus as 'the Word.' This is also translated as the incarnate 'Logos,' who is the rational, ordering principle of the universe. Thus, our 'faith presupposes reason [and] human reason loses nothing by opening itself to the content of faith,' affirmed Pope Benedict XVI. Rather, reason 'enlightened by faith finds the strength to rise to knowledge of God and spiritual realities' (Angelus of January 28, 2007). And Pope Francis adds, 'Faith encourages the scientist to remain constantly open to reality in all its inexhaustible richness. . . By stimulating wonder before the profound mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason to shed greater light on the world which discloses itself to scientific investigation' (Lumen Fidei, 34)."

In a recent commentary in the Washington Post, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, reflected on the relationship between faith and science..

To access Cardinal Wuerl’s complete essay, please visit:

Seek First the Kingdom: Faith and Reason, the Church and Science (27 JUL 17)