From Leo XIII's letter, Motu Proprio, establishing the Vatican
Observatory in 1891, to show that "the Church and her Pastors are not
opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they
embrace it, encourage it, and promote it with the fullest possible
dedication": i.e., to counteract claims of obscurantism on part of Church.
Now its mission is more to do good science, for its own sake, and to be a
bridge between Church and Science (see Interdisciplinary
Studies). |
