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Space

Pope's astronomer: 'Science helps me be a priest'

By Eugenie Samuel

7 July 2010

91av. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Eye to the heavens

(Image: Vatican)

Why does the Vatican need an ?

The Catholic church has long had an interest in astronomy. We can trace the beginning of this to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII wanted to reform the calendar to settle the date of Easter.

What role did Galileo play in the history of the observatory?

Put briefly, I’m here thanks to Galileo. Because Galileo suffered, there was a need to do something to show that the church is not against science. It was in large part to change the image of the church – to show the world that it is not against…

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