Two weeks ago, the British Daily Mail reported that the longtime head of the Vatican Observatory had been fired for supporting the Darwinian theory of evolution. The article began:
Pope Benedict XVI has sacked his chief astronomer after a series of public clashes over the theory of evolution. He has removed Father George Coyne from his position as director of the Vatican Observatory after the American Jesuit priest repeatedly contradicted the Holy See’s endorsement of “intelligent design” theory, which essentially backs the “Adam and Eve” theory of creation.
This makes for a good story: a classic conflict between science and religion, harkening back to the good old days of Copernicus and Galileo. Unfortunately, it’s pure fiction. I e-mailed Fr. Coyne (which the Daily Mail apparently didn’t bother to do) and asked him about his being “sacked” by the Pope. He responded:
Transitions like this always seem to generate some imaginative journalism. In this case, upon my return from a vacation during which I purposely avoided the news, I hear some media reports that I have been dismissed by the Pope. This is simply not true. The work of the Vatican Observatory under my directorship has been enthusiastically supported by John Paul I, if for ever so short a reign, by John Paul II in many marvelous ways and now by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict, to my mind, has renewed his enthusiastic support for the Observatory’s work…
Coyne also explained in his email to me that it was his own idea to step down from his position and find a replacement:
For some years I have, upon realizing that a scientific research institute such as ours requires a continuous input of new initiatives, suggested to Jesuit superiors that they search for a new director of this work. In May of this year upon my repeated request they finally agreed to begin a search for a new director resulting, rather rapidly to my delight, in the appointment of José Funes. Upon completing almost 28 years as director (I was appointed by John Paul I on 2 September 1978) I have been granted a sabbatical year which I will spend as a parish priest at St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. In September 2007 I will return to the work of the Vatican Observatory. Thanks, José, for promising to have me back! I will remain as President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
And so another conspiracy theory unravels.
It’s also worth noting in closing that the entire premise of the Daily Mail article seems to be wildly mistaken. From what I understand, the Pope has not come anywhere close to endorsing “Intelligent Design.”