On May 20, The Lay Centre's residential community took a day trip to Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, where the Vatican Observatory is located. The visit, guided by Father Gabriele Gionti, SJ, included a tour of the Observatory's museum, where it was possible to see images produced by the Observatory, archive documents and telescopes - which still work!
The visit concluded with an in-depth discussion of the relationship between faith and science, or more specifically, theology and science, and how popes throughout history have interpreted this dynamic.
Born in Capua, Italy, Father Gionti is an astronomer whose area of research involves, particularly, Cosmology and Quantum Gravity. More about him and the Observatory: https://www.vaticanobservatory.va/