Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, April 27, 2000
FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
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The scientists in our midst
By David M. Byers
Catholic News Service
p
X ope John Paul II always has had
f ; the greatest respect for the scientific
enterprise. In 1988, for example, he
declared:
“Science can purify religion from er
ror and superstition; religion can pu
rify science from idolatry and false ab
solutes. Each can draw the other into a
wider world, a world in which both can
flourish.”
The pope’s attitude is thoroughly re
freshing, since modern Catholics have no
o choice but to live their faith in a world
dominated by science and technology.
Despite sometimes contradictory
conclusions — studies show that eggs
are bad for the heart one day, good the
inclined to discriminate against them,
as people now discriminate against oth
ers on racial grounds?
Some emerging biotechnologies
promise benefits to humanity but at
the same time pose serious moral ques
tions. Embryonic stem-cell research
may allow science to probe the cellular
origins of cancer, diabetes, spinal-cord
injury, arthritis, and a host of other
lethal or disabling illnesses and condi
tions. Yet the church must oppose such
work because embryos are destroyed in
the process of obtaining their cells.
A question in the future may go
something like this: May a Catholic
accept a lifesaving transplantation of
embryonic stem cells, knowing their
source?
Less controversial new technologies
are likewise mixes of light and shadow.
O
u
next — we have an unbounded faith in
scientific pronouncements. When we
hear on the radio, “Scientists revealed
today ...,” we pay attention.
Like everyone else, Catholics derive
much of their knowl
edge of the world
from science, and
technology is chang
ing this world with
astonishing speed.
This cultural per
spective poses a seri
ous challenge for
pastoral ministers
and catechists in the
church: how to
speak of faith in
terms that people understand today.
The number of babies born through
various forms of assisted reproduction
worldwide is approaching 1 million.
Development of an artificial womb may
make pregnancy obsolete for elite
women in two or three generations.
How will the church present its con
cerns so that the link between sex and
reproduction will be understood?
Particular advances in technology
present Catholics with new moral
choices, because these advances often
have unintended consequences. Split
ting the atom produced new diagnostic
tools for medical research, but also
nuclear power plants, which some fear,
and nuclear weapons, which all fear.
These days, the spotlight is on the
biotechnologies. A few seem clearly un
acceptable from a Catholic perspective.
Scientists have now succeeded in
cloning five species of animals, and
many consider human cloning inevi
table. However, this technology in
volves the destruction of embryos, vio
lating the right to life. Moreover, it
raises issues of social justice. How shall
we treat human clones? Would we be
The church welcomes genetic testing
when it functions as an extension of
sound medical practice, giving physi
cians and patients the information they
need to make sound treatment deci
sions. However, the
information genetic
testing reveals would
be of great interest to
insurance companies
and potential em
ployers; the potential
for abuse is enor
mous.
The same is true
of genetic screening,
which scans large
groups of people for
defects. The principal medical justifica
tion for screening is as a tool for finding
the incidence of disease in a population,
opening the door to prevention or
therapy. However, the same informa
tion can become the basis for selective
abortion or even for eugenic policies
aimed at “improving the human stock.”
Faith and morality need to be fully
aware of contemporary reality so that
they do not gradually lose their power
to guide Christians living in a scientific
and technological world.
(Byers is the executive director of
the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Sci
ence and Human Values.)
All contents copyright©2000 by CNS
44
ome emerging bio
technologies promise
benefits to humanity but
at the same time pose
serious moral questions.”
The Southern Cross, Page 9
On the Jubilee Day for Scientists (May 25),
what event is planned in your community?
“Besides including information about St. Albert the Great — our patron saint
and the patron saint of scientists — on our Web site (www.albertusmagnus.org),
we are sharing information about him with our students so that they might
better appreciate the impact he has had on science.” — Joseph Troy, president,
Albertus Magnus High school, Bardonia, N.Y.
“While we are not doing anything on May 25 per se, we are having a series of
dialogues with community leaders. Our fourth such dialogue is scheduled with
the scientific community for sometime in the fall. These talks are initiated by
Bishop Carlos Sevilla, SJ, to build good will, to remind the secular leadership of
their moral responsibility and to remind them that the church has an important
contribution to make to their work.” — Robert Fontana, director of evangeliza
tion, Diocese of Yakima (Washington)
“We list the jubilee intentions for the upcoming month in our parish bulletin
and ask people to pray for them. Included in May are our prayers for the scien
tific community.” — Dory Davis, Houston, Texas
An upcoming edition asks: What is a common, yet challenging, ethical
issue that arises in ordinary daily life? If you would like to respond for
possible publication, please write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20017-1100.
May 25: Jubilee day
for scientists
By John B. Reynolds
Catholic News Service
~T —
X wo Catholic scientists recently
shared their views on the relationship
between faith and science. They are
among a cadre of members of the scien
tific community who will be saluted on
the church’s Jubilee Day for Scientists
May 25.
Francis Castellino is the dean of the
College of Science at the University of
Notre Dame in Indiana. He takes a
pragmatic approach to the subject of
the relationship between faith and sci
ence, explaining, “The church has al
ways paid attention to science.
Whether it always has supported it is
another matter.”
Castellino received his doctorate in
biochemistry from the University of
Iowa and completed post-doctoral work
at Duke University. He now spends
nearly half of his working hours at
Notre Dame involved in blood-coagula
tion, molecular-biology and gene-tar
geting research. Much of his work, es
pecially his gene-targeting activity, is
related to the field of medicine.
Castellino is a member of Corpus
Christi Catholic Church in South
Bend, Ind. He reflects that faith and
science perhaps do- go hand-in-hand,
albeit not in the most conscious of
ways. He believes it is incumbent upon
all individuals to develop their Godly
gifts. Just as musicians are obligated to
develop their individual talents, so too
are scientists obligated to do so.
Scientists are obligated, he says for
example, to find cures for disease, and
in so doing to enhance the quality of
human life. “To better understand God,
we must better understand God’s
world,” Castellino adds.
Peter Reilly is a distinguished pro
fessor in chemical engineering at Iowa
State University. He is also a member
of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic
Church, the church ministering to the
university community on the campus
in Ames, Iowa.
Reilly received his doctorate in
chemical engineering from the Univer
sity of Pennsylvania and was employed
by DuPont and the University of Ne
braska before arriving at Iowa State.
His scientific duties there include in
struction in chemical engineering
along with his related research.
Currently that research is focused
on enzyme structure and function, ge
netic engineering of enzymes and iden
tifying chemicals in food-processing
residues. Additionally, Reilly is a
speakers’ bureau member of the Ameri
can Chemical Society and the Ameri
can Institute of Chemical Engineers.
As such, he occasionally is asked to
speak on areas of his research to local
chapters of each organization through
out the United States.
Reilly sees himself as both a scien
tist and a person of faith. When he
speaks on his genetic-engineering and
enzyme-structure research, such talks
sometimes lead to inquiries about the
existence of God. He is quick to respond
that science cannot prove or disprove
the question. “Science is science, while
the existence of God is a matter of
faith,” he explains.
(Reynolds is a free-lance writer in
Chicago, III.)
Ina Nutshell
Can science and religion live together happily? Can the most
interesting scientific ideas be reconciled with religious
belief?
It is not always clear how to make the science-faith
connection. Yet the pursuit of truth always leads back to God.
Science and religion each can “draw the other into a wider
world, a world in which both can flourish,”Pope John Paul
II said.