Society of Catholic Scientists meets in Chicago for first-ever conference
"It helps make Catholic scientists visible," Thomas Levergood, executive director of Lumen Christi Institute, said. "Intellectually, there's no conflict between Catholicism and science. There's actually a lot of synergy between them."
Scientists participating in the November 25-29 plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Science wait for Pope Francis at the Synod Hall, in the Apostolic Palace. (Credit: Casina Pio IV.)
Michelle Martin
May 1, 2017
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
CHICAGO - “Origins,” the first conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists, gave more than 100 participants the opportunity to learn about everything from the birth of stars to the beginnings of human language and to reflect on how their faith and work inform each other.
But perhaps the most important benefit of the conference and the fledgling society that sponsored it was the chance for Catholic scientists to connect with one another as they met April 21-23.
Darlene Douglas, a teacher at Willows Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois, who has a doctorate in genetics from the University of Chicago, said she left science as a career after it became too difficult to find labs in which she could work without violating Catholic ethics about working with human embryonic stem cells or cell lines derived from aborted fetuses.
“During my studies, I met with a lot of pushback to my faith,” Douglas said, adding that one of her ethics professors told students that it was impossible to believe in both God and evolution.
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