The facade of the Apostolic Palace and the Vatican Observatory / Adobe Stock
The role of the Vatican Observatory is to help people to understand that faith and science are not in conflict, according to the observatory’s newly-appointed director.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Richard Anthony D’Souza, a Jesuit from the Indian state of Goa, to the position July 31. Fr. D’Souza has been a staff member at the observatory since 2016 and holds a doctorate in astronomy, according to Vatican News.
“[I stand] on the shoulders of giants who have served before,” Fr. D’Souza told UCA News. He said that his job is to help the observatory “in promoting dialogue between faith and science.”
Fr. D’Souza replaces the retired Brother Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit who has led the observatory since 2015 and was recently the subject of a lengthy profile in The New Yorker. A statement from the Vatican Governorate explained that “with this appointment, Pope Leo XIV has confirmed the succession process that had been underway before the death of Pope Francis,” according to Vatican News.
In his interview with UCA News, Fr. D’Souza also explained that the observatory does not accept funding from global science foundations of major powers or international agencies, maintaining its independence.
“This has been the legacy of the Vatican,” he said.
He also noted that the observatory maintains positive relationships with the global scientific community and with major political powers, and later added that it “is internationally recognized because of the quality of our research and the renowned month-long biennial summer schools that we organize.”
“We can walk into any of the over 100 observatories around the world,” he told UCA News. “Through collaborations and friendships, we often have access to telescopes worth millions of dollars.”
The observatory was founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII, and it conducts research on all aspects of astronomy and promotes dialogue between faith and science.
Pope Leo drew attention for his recent visit to the Vatican Observatory the same day that he had a call with American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as CatholicVote previously reported.
According to UCA News, Fr. D’Souza has been recognized for the quality of his own research by a special committee of the International Astronomical Union, which honored the priest in June by naming an asteroid after him.
>> Top NASA scientist shares how he found Catholic faith <<
