This post is offered at the request of my parents at St. Olaf Parish in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The local science curriculum for the middle schools are into their lessons on the Big Bang Theory. How do I know this? I have had a handful of parents share with me some variation of the following statement, “Fr. James, my child is struggling with going to Mass – They believe in the Big Bang and not the Bible.”
My initial response is always, “Do they know that the Big Bang Theory was developed by a Catholic Priest?” The response to my question usually is met with surprise.
Now, to put some disclaimers out there. Do I presume that the Big Bang Theory is being taught in the schools as being incompatible with the Bible? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I want to give teachers the benefit of the doubt. Am I disappointed that my families don’t know about this? No, I’m not. Truth be told, I didn’t realize the full influence of Monsignor Georges Lemaitre until seminary.
I think one of the main reasons why confusion remains can be demonstrated by a really nice resource I found from NASA. It’s somewhat of a “Big Bang for Grade Schoolers.” This section caught my eye.
Is there anything wrong with this summary? With the understanding that this is meant for children, no I can’t criticize it’s accuracy (though I know some who might cringe a little using “stretched” in the definition). And I am happy as a Catholic Priest that one of my brothers Monsignor Georges Lemaitre is mentioned! The problem is, with his clerical title removed, how would anyone know that his “day job” was as a priest and his “night job” was as a scientist?
To be clear, this isn’t meant to criticize NASA for this resource. Far from it. In fact, I want to share this with my parents. Instead what I see in this resource is a tendency I’ve seen elsewhere to separate the scientific work of historic figures from other aspects of their life. In an interview I read of Dr. Karl van Bibbler speaking about his new book on Lemaitre, “The Atom of the Universe: The Life and Work of Georges Lemaitre,” Dr. van Bibbler points out this tension with Lemaitre’s relationship with his scientific colleagues.
Nevertheless, the implications of the theory, that the observable universe evolved from a singularity, and that there was a first moment in time, was received with ambivalence and even discomfort in the scientific community, clearly aggravated by the fact that Lemaître, as was the practice for all priests then, wore his clerics all the time, including at scientific meetings; he made no attempt to dissemble his affiliation. Curiously the term “Big Bang” was first applied disparagingly by one of his contenders and detractors, Fred Hoyle. (From the interview of Dr. van Bibbler published in American Magazine, May 25, 2016)
There are two things I wish to point out. First, the scientific community was hesitant to embrace Lemaitre’s ideas (originally call the “Cosmic Egg”) not only because it contradicted Einstein’s understanding of a static, non-expanding universe, but because it seemed a bit too Catholic. Not only because it came from a Catholic Priest who was also a brilliant scientist, but it seemed a little too close to the Bible for some.
Second, I wish to point out is that Lemaitre’s insistence on always being in his priestly clothing is not merely a fashion statement, but a silent witness that’s true of all priests – Once ordained, we don’t separate our priesthood from things we do outside of priestly ministry. To put it another way, when a priest is ordained to be called “Father” or “Monsignor” it is not simply a title given, but “priest” is who we are at our essence.
So, how did the Pope receive Monsignor Lemaitre’s science in relationship to the Bible? Despite what some may presume, the Pope at that time, Pope Pius XII, rushed to embrace Lemaitre’s work. In a piece by James T. Keane, he summarizes nicely Pius’ praise of the Cosmic Egg. Praise that ironically made Lemaitre uncomfortable.
Father Lemaître was surprised when Pope Pius XII weighed in on the Big Bang in a 1951 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican (where Lemaître was present). “Indeed, it seems that the science of today, by going back in one leap millions of centuries, has succeeded in being a witness to that primordial Fiat Lux, when, out of nothing, there burst forth with matter a sea of light and radiation, while the particles of chemical elements split and reunited in millions of galaxies,” the pope said, adding further that science “has indicated their beginning in time at a period about five billion years ago, confirming with the concreteness of physical proofs the contingency of the universe and the well-founded deduction that about that time the cosmos issued from the hand of the Creator. Creation, therefore, in time, and therefore, a Creator; and consequently, God!” (The Big Bang Was The Brainchild of a Catholic Priest James T. Keane, Sept. 16, 2025)
Now, speaking as a Catholic Priest, being praised by a Pope would be a moment of honor. However, Monsignor Lemaitre needed to clarify his thought with the Pope. What needed clarification? The simple clarification was that his idea that eventually was known as the Big Bang isn’t necessarily analogous with the doctrine of Creation from Nothing – Ex Nihilo. Put in Biblical terms, though the Big Bang Theory in no way contradicts faith, we shouldn’t rush to the presumption that it is the scientific expression of, “In the Beginning.” Dr. van Bibber states it this way.
Science for him was the methodology for understanding the physical cosmos; revealed religion taught truths important for salvation. He was quite content to observe that the findings of science were in no way discordant with scriptural revelation, and vice versa, but neither should overreach. (From the interview of Dr. van Bibbler published in American Magazine, May 25, 2016)
The Catholic Church has consistently embraced not only openness to the scientific study of things like the Big Bang, but also science as a discipline. As I stated in my last post, science is part of our pursuit of natural reason which is one of the two wings, to quote St. John Paul II, that helps the person ascend to truth.
Now, some may raise an eyebrow at my statement that the Catholic has consistently embraced science. What about Galileo? On the surface, this objection would be well founded. Galileo is a black-eye the Church must wear and can be interpreted as a “fly in the ointment” of Catholicism’s relationship with faith and science. However, Br. Guy Consolmagno, former Director of the Vatican Observatory, has provided insightful presentations about what really was going on with the tension between Galileo and the Church.
Sadly, it may be truer to state that the politics of the time swirling around the 30 years war may have played a huge roll in the Galileo affair. Amid this bloody and devastating war between people of faith, a power struggle between Pope Urban VIII and the Medici family, who greatly supported Galileo, may have greatly influenced the Church’s treatment of Galileo. To put it another way, the real lesson to learn from the Galileo affair may not be about faith and science, but of the devastating consequences of when the Catholic Church has become engrossed in political power struggles, over-engaging in the politics of the time.
For a more detailed look at the Galileo affair, I would encourage you to check out these two discussions between Br. Guy and Chris Graney.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from recent Popes on Evolution and the Big Bang. Please, I beg you, share these with people you know, Catholic and Non-Catholic. We need to work to bring an end to the myth that faith opposes science.
From Pope Benedict XVI: Currently, I see in Germany, but also in the United States, a somewhat fierce debate raging between so-called “creationism” and evolutionism, presented as though they were mutually exclusive alternatives: those who believe in the Creator would not be able to conceive of evolution, and those who instead support evolution would have to exclude God. This antithesis is absurd because, on the one hand, there are so many scientific proofs in favour of evolution which appears to be a reality we can see and which enriches our knowledge of life and being as such.
But on the other, the doctrine of evolution does not answer every query, especially the great philosophical question: where does everything come from? And how did everything start which ultimately led to man? I believe this is of the utmost importance. This is what I wanted to say in my lecture at Regensburg: that reason should be more open, that it should indeed perceive these facts but also realize that they are not enough to explain all of reality. (Question and Answer with German Clergy on July 24, 2007)
From Pope Francis: When we read the account of Creation in Genesis we risk imagining that God was a magician, complete with an all powerful magic wand. But that was not so. He created beings and he let them develop according to the internal laws with which He endowed each one, that they might develop, and reach their fullness. He gave autonomy to the beings of the universe at the same time in which He assured them of his continual presence, giving life to every reality. And thus Creation has been progressing for centuries and centuries, millennia and millennia, until becoming as we know it today, precisely because God is not a demiurge or a magician, but the Creator who gives life to all beings. The beginning of the world was not a work of chaos that owes its origin to another, but derives directly from a supreme Principle who creates out of love.
The Big Bang theory, which is proposed today as the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of a divine creator but depends on it. Evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of Creation, because evolution presupposes the creation of beings who evolve. (Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. October 27, 2014)
From Pope Benedict XVI: Our question today is: in the age of science and technology does speaking of creation still make sense? How should we understand the narratives in Genesis? The Bible does not intend to be a natural science manual; rather, it wishes to make the authentic and profound truth of things understood. The fundamental truth that the accounts of Genesis reveal to us is that the world is not a collection of forces that clash with each other; it has its origin and its permanence in the Logos, in God’s eternal Reason which continues to sustain the universe. (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, February 6, 2013)
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Here are a couple videos on Genesis and Monsignor Lemaitre.
Last, but not least, here are the words of the late Pope Francis addressing Participants in the 2024 Lemaitre Conference of the Vatican Observatory.
You are meeting in Castel Gandolfo for the Conference on “Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Space-Time Singularities” organized in honour of Monsignor Georges Lemaître. In the seven years following the last Conference, the scientific contributions of this Belgian priest and cosmologist have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union, which has determined that the well-known Hubble law should properly be renamed the Hubble-Lemaître law.
In these days, you have been discussing the latest questions raised by scientific research in cosmology: the differing results obtained in the measurement of the Hubble constant, the puzzling nature of certain cosmological singularities (from the Big Bang to Black Holes) and the very timely issue of gravitational waves.
The Church seeks to follow and encourage these discussions, because they stimulate the interest and thinking of men and women in today’s world. The origin of the universe, its ultimate evolution and the deep structure of space and time, raise a number of serious questions about the meaning of life. They also open before our eyes an immense scenario in which it is easy to lose our bearings. In this sense, we can appreciate the relevance of the Psalmist’s exclamation: “When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him? Truly, you have made him little less than a God; with glory and honour you have crowned him” (Ps 8:4-7). Nor can we fail to appreciate the importance of these issues for theology, philosophy, science and the spiritual life.
Georges Lemaître was an exemplary priest and scientist. His human and spiritual journey offers a model of life from which all of us can learn.
Out of respect for the wishes of his father, Lemaître first studied engineering. He served in the First World War and saw its horrors at first hand. Later, he went on to pursue his priestly and scientific vocation. At first, he tended towards “concordism”, namely the belief that veiled references to scientific truths are present in Sacred Scripture. Greater experience and spiritual maturity led him to realize that science and faith are two distinct and parallel paths, which are not in conflict. Indeed, the two paths prove complementary, inasmuch as, for the believer, science and faith are grounded alike in the absolute truth of God. Lemaître’s journey of faith led him to the awareness that “creation” and “the big bang” are two different realities, and that the God in whom he believed can never be reduced to an object neatly catalogued by human reason. Rather, he is always a Deus absconditus, a “hidden God”, shrouded in mystery and never fully transparent to human reason.
Dear friends, I urge you to continue to investigate, with sincerity and humility, the important topics that you are presently discussing. May the freedom and lack of conditioning that you have experienced in this Conference help you to advance in your various fields towards that Truth which is surely a reflection of God’s eternal love. Faith and science can be united in charity, provided that science is put at the service of the men and woman of our time and not misused to harm or even destroy them. I encourage you, then, to press forward to the outer limits of human knowledge. For there, we can come to experience the God of love, who fulfils the deepest yearnings of the human heart.
From the heart, I bless you and your work. And I ask you, in turn, please pray for me. Thank you. (ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2024 LEMAÎTRE CONFERENCE OF THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY June 20, 2024)
