Speaking to the Board of the Vatican Observatory Foundation on May 11, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of astronomy in a world “so painfully divided": “The ability to gaze with wonder at the Sun, the Moon, and the stars is a gift granted to every human being, regardless of their position or circumstance. It awakens in us both awe and a sense of proportion that saves us. Contemplating the heavens invites us to see our fears and failures in the light of God’s immensity. The night sky is a treasure of beauty open to all—rich and poor alike—and, in a world so painfully divided, it remains one of the last truly universal sources of joy.”
The Pope referenced the re-founding of the Vatican Observatory by his predecessor Pope Leo XIII in 1891, so that “everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace, encourage, and promote it with the fullest possible devotion.”
