EWTN News portal reports on the upcoming 2026 Conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS), scheduled for June 5–7 at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. The article presents the gathering as a harmonious dialogue between Catholic faith and modern science, featuring presentations on human sexuality, the end of the universe, and the history of Catholic scientists. However, beneath the veneer of academic respectability lies a profound theological bankruptcy: the entire enterprise is built upon the modernist premise that the Church must accommodate herself to the spirit of the age, reducing Catholic truth to a mere partner in dialogue with the ever-shifting conclusions of secular science, while remaining silent on the absolute primacy of divine revelation and the supernatural end of man.
The Modernist Foundation: John Paul II and the “Integration” Fallacy
The article explicitly states that the Society of Catholic Scientists exists as an answer to the call of “St.” John Paul II that “members of the Church who are active scientists” be of service to those attempting to “integrate the worlds of science and religion in their own intellectual and spiritual lives.” This is the foundational error of the entire enterprise. The concept of “integrating” science and religion as if they were two separate, equal domains that need to be reconciled is a hallmark of Modernism. It presupposes that human reason, unaided by divine revelation, can arrive at truths that are somehow independent of or even contrary to the deposit of faith, and that the Church must adjust her understanding to accommodate these “discoveries.”
This stands in direct opposition to the perennial teaching of the Church. As Pope Pius IX declared in the Syllabus of Errors (1864), it is an error to claim that “human reason, without any reference whatsoever to God, is the sole arbiter of truth and falsehood, and of good and evil; it is law to itself” (Proposition 3), or that “divine revelation is imperfect, and therefore subject to a continual and indefinite progress, corresponding with the advancement of human reason” (Proposition 5). The Church has always taught that faith and reason cannot truly contradict each other, because both proceed from the same God, but that reason must be subject to faith, not the other way around. The very notion that science and religion are “at odds” and need to be “overcome” is a modernist myth, born of the Enlightenment’s false dichotomy between faith and reason.
The Silence on the Supernatural: A Naturalistic Reduction of Catholic Truth
The article’s summary of the conference topics reveals a glaring omission: there is no mention of the supernatural end of man, the state of grace, the reality of sin, the necessity of the sacraments, or the final judgment. The presentations focus exclusively on naturalistic and materialistic concerns: “The Evolution of Sexual Reproduction and Differentiation,” “The Biology of Human Nature and Human Individuation,” and “How the Universe Will End.” While these topics may be of scientific interest, their presentation in a “Catholic” context without any reference to the supernatural order is a form of naturalism that reduces the Catholic faith to a mere ethical or cultural framework for scientific inquiry.
This silence is not accidental; it is symptomatic of the post-conciliar Church’s abandonment of the supernatural. As Pope Pius XI warned in Quas Primas (1925), “the secularism of our times, so-called laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors” began with “the denial of Christ the Lord’s reign over all nations” and the removal of “Jesus Christ and His most holy law from their customs, from private, family, and public life.” The SCS conference, by focusing exclusively on the natural order and ignoring the supernatural, implicitly denies the universal kingship of Christ and reduces the Church’s mission to a dialogue with the world on the world’s terms.
The Heresy of John Henry Newman: A “Doctor of the Church” for Modernists
One of the conference presentations is titled “John Henry Newman, New Doctor of the Church: His Vision of the University and the Place of the Sciences.” This is a scandalous choice. Newman, though a convert from Anglicanism, was a proponent of the evolution of doctrine, a concept that was explicitly condemned by the Church. His theory that Christian doctrine develops over time, becoming something entirely different from what it was originally, is a direct contradiction of the Church’s teaching on the immutability of dogma.
As St. Pius X declared in Lamentabili sane exitu (1907), it is an error to claim that “dogmas, sacraments, and hierarchy, both in concept and in reality, are merely modes of explanation and stages in the evolution of Christian consciousness” (Proposition 54), or that “truth changes with man, because it develops with him, in him, and through him” (Proposition 58). Newman’s elevation to the status of “Doctor of the Church” by the post-conciliar authorities is a clear indication of the modernist orientation of the current Vatican structures. To feature him as a model for Catholic scientists is to promote the very heresy that the Church has always condemned.
The Absence of True Catholic Scientists: A Modernist Hall of Fame
The article mentions several historical figures who will be highlighted at the conference: Nicolaus Steno, Gregor Mendel, and John Henry Newman. While Steno and Mendel were indeed Catholic scientists, their inclusion in a modernist context is problematic. The article presents them as examples of the compatibility of faith and science, but it does so in a way that reduces their faith to a mere personal motivation for scientific inquiry, rather than recognizing that their scientific work was informed by and subordinate to their Catholic faith.
Moreover, the absence of true Catholic scientists who defended the faith against the errors of their time is telling. There is no mention of figures like St. Albert the Great, who insisted on the primacy of theology over philosophy, or St. Robert Bellarmine, who defended the rights of the Church against the secular power. The modernist preference for Newman, with his evolutionary theology, over these giants of Catholic thought is a clear indication of the ideological orientation of the SCS.
The Templeton Foundation: Funding the Modernist Agenda
The article notes that the “Science and Faith Speaker Training” workshop is supported by a grant from The Templeton Religious Trust. The Templeton Foundation is well known for its promotion of the dialogue between science and religion, but this dialogue is almost always conducted on modernist terms, with the assumption that religion must adapt to the findings of science. The foundation has funded numerous projects that promote the evolution of religious consciousness, the compatibility of science and religion, and the idea that God acts through natural processes rather than through miracles.
The acceptance of Templeton funding by the SCS is a clear indication that the society is aligned with the modernist agenda. It is a form of simony, where the truth of the Catholic faith is sold for the silver of secular respectability. As Our Lord warned, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).
The Silence on the Errors of Modern Science
The article presents the conference as a forum for discussing “some of the major issues facing the scientific community,” but it does not mention any of the errors of modern science that are contrary to Catholic teaching. There is no mention of the theory of evolution, which contradicts the account of creation in Genesis; no mention of the materialistic reduction of the human person, which denies the existence of the soul; no mention of the ethical abuses of modern science, such as embryonic stem cell research, which involves the destruction of human life.
This silence is a form of complicity. By failing to address these errors, the SCS implicitly endorses the modernist view that science is neutral and that the Church has no authority to pass judgment on scientific claims. This is directly contrary to the teaching of the Church, which has always maintained that the Magisterium has the authority to judge the conclusions of science insofar as they touch on matters of faith and morals. As Pope Pius IX declared in the Syllabus of Errors, it is an error to claim that “the Church not only ought never to pass judgment on philosophy, but ought to tolerate the errors of philosophy, leaving it to correct itself” (Proposition 11).
The Livestreaming of Apostasy: The Global Reach of Modernism
The article notes that the conference will be livestreamed for free, making it accessible to a global audience. This is a modernist strategy: to spread the errors of the post-conciliar Church to the widest possible audience, under the guise of education and dialogue. The livestreaming of a conference that promotes the integration of faith and science on modernist terms, that features a heretic like Newman as a model, and that ignores the supernatural order, is a form of spiritual poison that will lead many souls astray.
As Our Lord warned, “Woe to the world because of scandals! For it must needs be that scandals come, but nevertheless, woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!” (Matthew 18:7). The SCS conference, by promoting a naturalistic and modernist view of the relationship between faith and science, is a scandal that will lead many Catholics to lose their faith.
Conclusion: The Need for a Return to True Catholic Science
The Society of Catholic Scientists conference is not a genuine dialogue between faith and science, but a modernist enterprise that subordinates the Catholic faith to the spirit of the age. It is built upon the errors of John Paul II and John Henry Newman, it is funded by the Templeton Foundation, and it ignores the supernatural order and the errors of modern science. It is a symptom of the post-conciliar Church’s apostasy, and it must be rejected by all faithful Catholics.
What is needed is not a dialogue between faith and science on modernist terms, but a return to the true Catholic understanding of the relationship between the two. Science must be subordinate to faith, not the other way around. The conclusions of science must be judged by the light of divine revelation, not by the ever-shifting opinions of the scientific community. And the supernatural end of man must be the primary concern of all Catholic inquiry, whether scientific or theological.
As Pope Pius XI declared in Quas Primas, “the annual celebration of this solemnity will also remind states that not only private individuals, but also rulers and governments have the duty to publicly honor Christ and obey Him.” The same is true of scientists: they have a duty to publicly honor Christ and obey Him, not to seek a false harmony between faith and science that denies His universal kingship. The SCS conference, by failing to do this, is a betrayal of the Catholic faith and a scandal to the faithful.
Source:
Catholic scientists to gather near Chicago to discuss human sexuality, future of the universe (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 01.06.2026