National Catholic Register portal reports on the dissolution of the National Science Foundation board by the Trump administration, which included two high-ranking staff members from The Catholic University of America. This action, while presented as a routine administrative measure, exposes the inherent tensions within a secularist state apparatus that claims neutrality yet operates under principles fundamentally at odds with the Social Reign of Christ the King. The dismissal of these individuals, regardless of their personal faith, highlights the ultimate subordination of all temporal affairs to the divine law, a truth the modern world consistently seeks to obscure.
The Secularist State and Its “Constitutional Questions”
The Trump administration’s justification for dissolving the National Science Foundation (NSF) board, citing “constitutional questions” from the 2021 Supreme Court case U.S. v. Arthrex, is a purely legalistic maneuver within the framework of a secular republic. This case, focusing on the appointment and review powers of federal board members, underscores the meticulous attention paid to procedural legitimacy within the American constitutional order. However, from the perspective of integral Catholic faith, such “constitutional questions” are merely internal disputes within a system that itself lacks ultimate legitimacy if it does not publicly acknowledge and submit to the divine law and the Social Reign of Christ the King.
Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas, unequivocally states that “the State is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men” and that “rulers of states therefore not refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ, but let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.” The very notion of a “constitutional question” that supersedes the divine mandate for public authority to honor Christ is a manifestation of the “secularism of our times, so-called laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors” that Pius XI condemned as a “plague that poisons human society.” The NSF board, regardless of its scientific pronouncements, operates within this secularist paradigm, which inherently excludes the supernatural and the divine from its foundational principles.
The Illusion of “Catholic” Participation in Secular Structures
The presence of two high-ranking staff members from The Catholic University of America (CUA) on the NSF board, Aaron Dominguez and Victor McCrary, is presented as a notable detail. However, this merely illustrates the common, yet deeply problematic, phenomenon of Catholics seeking influence and recognition within secularist structures. While individual Catholics may hold personal faith, their participation in such bodies, which operate under purely naturalistic and often anti-supernatural premises, risks legitimizing the very system that undermines the Church’s authority and the divine order.
The CUA, as an institution, has a long history of engaging with the American political and academic establishment. While this engagement might be seen as a means of “leavening” secular society, it often leads to a subtle accommodation or even an uncritical acceptance of the secularist framework. The silence of CUA and the individuals involved, as reported (“The Catholic University of America declined to comment on the firings. Dominguez and McCrary did not immediately respond to requests for comment”), is symptomatic of this accommodation. It avoids any public witness to the primacy of divine law over human law, or the ultimate subordination of all scientific inquiry to the truths of faith. As St. Pius X warned in Lamentabili sane exitu, “the pursuit of novelty in the investigation of the foundations of things leads in our times to deplorable consequences, abandoning all restraint. It causes the heritage of be rejected, and often leads to the most grievous errors, which become particularly pernicious when they concern sacred sciences, the exposition of Holy Scripture, and the principal mysteries of Faith.” The NSF, by its very nature, operates within a framework that often prioritizes “novelty” and “scientific progress” over immutable truth, making the presence of “Catholic scientists” within its governing body a potential source of scandal rather than a genuine witness.
Science, Policy, and the Absence of Divine Law
The NSF board’s functions – overseeing the foundation, advising on science and engineering policy, approving funding, and publishing reports like Science and Engineering Indicators and Vision 2030 – are presented as crucial for national progress. Yet, these activities, while seemingly neutral, are deeply embedded in a worldview that often excludes or marginalizes the supernatural. The “policy-shaping publications” and “merit-review analyses” that guide billions in research funding are formulated without any reference to the divine law or the moral order established by Christ.
Pius IX, in the Syllabus of Errors, condemned the proposition that “the civil government, even when in the hands of an infidel sovereign, has a right to an indirect negative power over religious affairs” (Proposition 41) and that “the entire government of public schools in which the youth of a Christian state is educated… may and ought to appertain to the civil power” (Proposition 45). The NSF, as a federal agency, exercises immense influence over the direction of scientific research and, by extension, education and public policy. Its operations, devoid of any explicit submission to Christ the King, contribute to the “secularism” that Pius XI lamented, where “God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed.”
The “Skilled Technical Workforce reports” and similar publications, while addressing practical needs, do so within a purely naturalistic framework, ignoring the ultimate purpose of human labor and societal organization: the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The “Vision 2030” report, like many such secularist blueprints, likely promotes a vision of progress detached from the moral and spiritual dimensions of human existence, further entrenching the “pest of indifferentism” that Pius IX condemned.
The Subordination of All Authority to Christ the King
The dismissal of the NSF board members, regardless of their personal faith or institutional affiliation, serves as a stark reminder that all temporal authority is inherently unstable and subject to the shifting sands of human politics. This stands in stark contrast to the enduring and divinely instituted authority of the Church and the Social Reign of Christ the King.
Pius XI, in Quas Primas, clearly articulated that “Christ reigns in the minds of men… because He Himself is Truth, and men must draw truth from Him and accept it obediently: He is said to reign also in the wills of men… because He inclines our free will and conquers it with His inspiration, so that we are inflamed for the noble deeds.” He further states that “the Kingdom of our Redeemer encompasses all men… the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” The NSF, as a human institution, operates under the illusion of autonomy, yet its very existence and function are subject to the ultimate judgment of Christ. The “constitutional questions” raised by the Supreme Court are merely a reflection of the inherent limitations and ultimate futility of human legal systems that do not acknowledge the supreme lawgiver.
The “Catholic scientists” on the board, by their participation, implicitly accepted the legitimacy of a system that, at its core, operates outside the divine order. Their removal, while a political act, underscores the transient nature of all earthly power and the ultimate futility of seeking lasting influence or “progress” outside the framework of Christ’s Kingdom. The true “progress” and “happiness” of nations, as Pius XI taught, can only be achieved when “all willingly accept the reign of Christ and obey Him, and every tongue will confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of the God the Father.”
Conclusion: A Call to True Order
The dissolution of the NSF board, while a political event, offers a moment for reflection on the true source of authority and the ultimate purpose of all human endeavor. The “constitutional questions” raised by the Trump administration are but a symptom of a deeper societal illness: the rejection of Christ’s Social Kingship. The participation of individuals from Catholic institutions in such secularist structures, while perhaps well-intentioned, ultimately risks legitimizing a system that is fundamentally at odds with the divine order.
The Church, as the “perfect society” established by Christ, demands “full freedom and independence from secular authority” (Pius XI, Quas Primas). The true mission of Catholics is not to seek influence within secularist structures, but to work for the restoration of all things in Christ, including the public acknowledgment of His reign over all nations and every aspect of life. The “bitter fruits” of secularism, as Pius XI lamented, are evident in the constant political upheavals and the inherent instability of human institutions that refuse to submit to the divine law. Only when “God and Jesus Christ” are no longer “removed from laws and states” can true peace and order be established. The dismissal of the NSF board members, regardless of their personal faith, is a minor event in the grand scheme of this ongoing struggle, but it serves as a potent reminder of the ultimate futility of human endeavors that do not have God as their beginning and end.
Source:
Trump Fires National Science Foundation Board, Including 2 Catholic Scientists (ncregister.com)
Date: 29.04.2026