EWTN News portal reports on a new workshop at the Society of Catholic Scientists conference designed to train Catholic scientists to publicly promote the idea that faith and science are in “harmony,” combating the perceived “myth” of conflict between them. This initiative, while seemingly well-intentioned on the surface, reveals a profound misunderstanding of the true relationship between faith and reason, and ultimately serves to undermine the absolute supremacy of revealed truth by placing it on an equal footing with the ever-shifting pronouncements of modern science.
The Persistent Error of “Harmony” as a False Equivalence
The article presents the “myth” of faith-science conflict as a problem to be overcome, with the Society of Catholic Scientists aiming “to witness to the harmony of science and faith.” This framing, however, subtly but dangerously implies a false equivalence. As St. Pius X unequivocally stated in Lamentabili sane exitu (1907), condemning the errors of Modernism, “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, and suffices, by its natural force, to secure the welfare of men and of nations” (Proposition 3). To speak of “harmony” risks elevating human reason and scientific inquiry to a level co-equal with divine revelation, rather than recognizing reason’s proper, subordinate role. The true Catholic position is not one of “harmony” between two equal partners, but of the absolute primacy of faith, with reason serving as a tool to understand and defend revealed truths. As the Syllabus of Errors (1864) of Pope Pius IX declares, “All the truths of religion proceed from the innate strength of human reason; hence reason is the ultimate standard by which man can and ought to arrive at the knowledge of all truths of every kind” is condemned as an error (Proposition 4).
The article quotes Stephen Barr, president of SCS, who argues “that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant.” This “consonance” is precisely the modernist error. Scientific discoveries are tentative, subject to revision, and often based on flawed premises or incomplete data. To suggest they are “deeply consonant” with immutable religious faith implies that faith must adapt to science, rather than science being judged by faith. This echoes the condemned proposition from Lamentabili: “The progress of sciences requires a reform of the concept of Christian doctrine concerning God, creation, Revelation, the Person of the Incarnate Word, and Redemption” (Proposition 64).
The Secular Mission of “Public Square” Engagement
The workshop’s explicit goal is to prepare Catholic scientists “to speak on science and faith topics in the public square.” This emphasis on the “public square” reveals a fundamental shift in the Church’s mission. The primary purpose of the Church is not to engage in dialogue with the world on its own terms, but to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and lead souls to salvation. The Church’s authority is not derived from its ability to present a “consonant” message to secular society, but from Christ Himself. As Pope Pius XI stated in his encyclical Quas Primas (1925), “The Church, established by Christ as a perfect society, demands for itself by a right belonging to it, which it cannot renounce, full freedom and independence from secular authority, and that in fulfilling the mission entrusted to it by God – to teach, govern, and lead all to eternal happiness, those who belong to the Kingdom of Christ – it cannot depend on anyone’s will.”
The article quotes Dan Kuebler, vice president of SCS, who said, “One of the things that we recognize is that we need more people out there speaking to high schools, parishes, and so forth about science and the Catholic Church to help dispel some of these myths.” This approach, while seemingly practical, reduces the Church’s mission to a public relations exercise, seeking to make faith palatable to a secular audience. It prioritizes “dispelling myths” over proclaiming unchanging truths. The true “myth” is not that faith and science conflict, but that they are separate, autonomous spheres that can be “harmonized” without one being subordinate to the other.
The Modernist Reinterpretation of History and Doctrine
The article highlights Chris Baglow’s high-school theology textbook, “Faith, Science, and Reason,” which “unveils the history of science as something that grew out of, rather than in opposition to, the Catholic faith.” While it is true that many early scientists were Catholics and that the Church has historically patronized learning, this narrative often glosses over the numerous instances where the Church has had to correct scientific errors or defend revealed truth against philosophical speculation. The modernist error, as outlined in Lamentabili, is to view “Dogmas, sacraments, and hierarchy, both in concept and in reality, as merely modes of explanation and stages in the evolution of Christian consciousness, which has multiplied and perfected, through external additions, the small seed hidden in the Gospels” (Proposition 54). This evolutionary view of doctrine is precisely what the Society of Catholic Scientists, perhaps unknowingly, promotes by seeking “harmony” with ever-changing scientific theories.
The article also mentions Anna Lennon, a doctoral student, who said the workshop encouraged them “to go beyond our labs and classrooms into our local communities to encounter our Creator together.” This language of “encountering our Creator together” in a secular context, rather than through the sacraments and the Church’s teaching authority, is a hallmark of modernist immanentism. It shifts the focus from objective truth and the supernatural life of grace to subjective experience and a naturalistic “encounter.” This aligns with the condemned proposition: “Revelation was merely man’s self-awareness of his relationship to God” (Proposition 20, Lamentabili).
The Illusion of “Confidence” in a Worldly Framework
The workshop aimed to equip scientists with “confidence to speak on these topics.” However, true confidence for a Catholic comes not from mastering rhetorical techniques or understanding current scientific theories, but from a firm adherence to the unchanging truths of the Faith. As St. Paul states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). The article quotes Nathaniel Cunningham, who appreciated “helpful guidelines and guardrails for speaking on faith and science.” These “guardrails” are precisely the problem; they are not the guardrails of divine revelation, but of secular acceptability. They teach scientists how to present faith in a way that does not offend modern sensibilities, rather than how to proclaim the Gospel boldly, regardless of worldly reception.
The ultimate danger of such initiatives is that they reinforce the modernist notion that faith must adapt to the world, rather than the world being called to conversion by faith. As Pope Pius XI lamented in Quas Primas, “this plague… began with the denial of Christ the Lord’s reign over all nations; the Church’s authority to teach men, to issue laws, to govern nations, which authority she received from Christ the Lord to lead men to eternal happiness, was denied. And then, slowly, the Christian religion began to be equated with other false religions and shamelessly placed in the same category.” The Society of Catholic Scientists, by seeking “harmony” in the “public square,” inadvertently contributes to this very error, placing faith as just another voice in the secular marketplace of ideas, rather than the supreme arbiter of all truth.
Source:
New workshop trains Catholic scientists to fight myth of faith-science conflict (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 19.06.2026