Pius XI

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19 April 1931   |   Casina Pio IV

Science and Faith Come from the Same Author

Address to Inaugurate the Academic Year of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences ‘New Lynxes’

Science and Faith Come from the Same Author
The Pope refers to the fact that the Vatican Radio (whose director was also the President of the Academy) had just broadcast summaries of the proceedings of the Academy. He observes that he himself had given an address on that Radio and links together the two events: the first had been ‘sacred to the Faith’; the second ‘sacred to Science’. In this context he stresses with great force that there is no contradiction between science and faith because God is the ‘sole author’ of both.

We most willingly bestow upon you the asked-for Apostolic Blessing, but we wish first of all to express to you, dear sons, our pleasure and our congratulations regarding the fine ‘scientific week’ that today and now you are bringing to a close.
We wish, in addition, to congratulate the Academicians on this beginning, this opening up, that you have engaged in with respect to the Vatican Scientific Radio; our congratulations and our best wishes: best wishes which are as confident as the congratulations are deserved.
Our joy is great, our pleasure is true and profound, at the fact that we have been able to be with our sons, the Academicians, at this second inauguration of the Vatican Radio, after being present at the first inauguration of the station itself.
And we seem really to be able to speak of a second inauguration which is no less fine than the first. If, indeed, the first was the inauguration sacred to the Faith, the second was the inauguration sacred to Science. Then, the apostolic word of the Faith was broadcast; now the word of Science has been broadcast.
And Divine Scripture itself tells us how God is the author of the Faith, as He is the author of Science as well. The Vatican Council had one of its finest proclamations flow from this beautiful truth: there is, that is to say, no contradiction between Science and Faith given that the sole author of Faith and Science is God Himself. And by this was not only proclaimed ... Read all

The Pope refers to the fact that the Vatican Radio (whose director was also the President of the Academy) had just broadcast summaries of the proceedings of the Academy. He observes that he himself had given an address on that Radio and links together the two events: the first had been ‘sacred to the Faith’; the second ‘sacred to Science’. In this context he stresses with great force that there is no contradiction between science and faith because God is the ‘sole author’ of both.

We most willingly bestow upon you the asked-for Apostolic Blessing, but we wish first of all to express to you, dear sons, our pleasure and our congratulations regarding the fine ‘scientific week’ that today and now you are bringing to a close.
We wish, in addition, to congratulate the Academicians on this beginning, this opening up, that you have engaged in with respect to the Vatican Scientific Radio; our congratulations and our best wishes: best wishes which are as confident as the congratulations are deserved.
Our joy is great, our pleasure is true and profound, at the fact that we have been able to be with our sons, the Academicians, at this second inauguration of the Vatican Radio, after being present at the first inauguration of the station itself.
And we seem really to be able to speak of a second inauguration which is no less fine than the first. If, indeed, the first was the inauguration sacred to the Faith, the second was the inauguration sacred to Science. Then, the apostolic word of the Faith was broadcast; now the word of Science has been broadcast.
And Divine Scripture itself tells us how God is the author of the Faith, as He is the author of Science as well. The Vatican Council had one of its finest proclamations flow from this beautiful truth: there is, that is to say, no contradiction between Science and Faith given that the sole author of Faith and Science is God Himself. And by this was not only proclaimed the harmony between Faith and Science, but was in the same way recalled and proclaimed the infinite, most high harmonies between two worlds, two universes: one material, the other supernatural.
Our dear Academicians, at this fine meeting, have given to the Pope some foretaste of those beauties, those fresh and fertile harmonies, and we, once again, thank them; and it is indeed in the contemplation of the two universes harmoniously conjoined, that we, with all our heart, wish to impart to those who are present and their noble work the Apostolic Blessing, wishing for the greatest successes, and the highest merits, for Faith and for Science.

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