A Protestant Will Become President of the Papal Academy of Sciences

[Augstine Baker]

The main purpose of the academy consists in listening to the Pope's speech every year and nodding in a friendly way.  That apparently means it could be a protestant or an abortion promoter. 

(kreuz.net, Vatikan)Pope Benedict XVI has made the elderly Swiss Nobel Prize winnder Werner Areber (81) the president of the Papal Academy of Science, according to the Academy today.

The decadent Swiss Bishops Conference published the press release with congratulations.

But he's a protestant.

http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2011...nt-of.html

[ggreg]

when more than half of our bishops are apostate does one more protestant make much of a difference. To my way of thinking the Church is so messed up now that words like 'catholic' and 'protestant' don't mean a great deal. I would say a prot who was anti darwin and anti abortion would be superior to a novus ordiarian heretic or apostate who was not.

[Historian]

when more than half of our bishops are apostate does one more protestant make much of a difference. To my way of thinking the Church is so messed up now that words like 'catholic' and 'protestant' don't mean a great deal. I would say a prot who was anti darwin and anti abortion would be superior to a novus ordiarian heretic or apostate who was not.

Sad, but true.  As I said before, some of my most orthodox theology profs were Protestants.  The Catholic ones, including priests, were mostly Liberal if not outright Modernists and heretics.  I had a Jesuit for Sacramental Theology and one of our texts was Hans Kung's The Church

Baptism as the theory of liminality (i.e., initiation).  Nothing about the cleansing of Original Sin, etc.  I think I still have my class notes.  I should scan them in and post them for laffs (or tears).

I had a Prot for Old Testament Scripture who was mostly good.  He got a little odd with exegesis at one point, but eh.

Maybe we're better off with a Prot there.  Shows you how bad things have gotten.

[Cetil]

The Academy has always been a purely advisory body and membership has never been restricted to Catholics. Ernest Rutherford, the physicist was not a Catholic but held a position on the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Alexis Carrel who became a Catholic on his death bed was an agnostic when appointed to the Pontifical Academy. He died in 1944. That's to name only two. And both "pre-conciliar" appointees.

C.

[Vetus Ordo]

I would say a prot who was anti darwin and anti abortion would be superior to a novus ordiarian heretic or apostate who was not.

You can say that again.

[moneil]

The Academy has always been a purely advisory body and membership has never been restricted to Catholics. Ernest Rutherford, the physicist was not a Catholic but held a position on the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Alexis Carrel who became a Catholic on his death bed was an agnostic when appointed to the Pontifical Academy. He died in 1944. That's to name only two. And both "pre-conciliar" appointees.

C.

Thank you for the post and information Cetil.  It was my recollection that non-Catholics served on this Pontifical Academy in the past, but I didn’t have time to research it.

While in the pre VII era, when the Church was in the counter reformation mode of Trent, there were strict guidelines and prohibitions regarding theological and Para liturgical contact with Protestants and other non-Catholics, in temporal / secular affairs the Church often maintained broad connections and consultations.

[Cetil]

You are welcome Moneil. Yes, I don't think there is much to get too upset about here. I think it was Pius XI that appointed Alexis Carrel who was as I said agnostic.
Carrel witnessed a miracle at Lourdes which influenced his conversion. We can hope people like Stephen Hawking (also a member of the Academy) have similar experiences. God knows a lot of these people are completely shut off from such things.
This is an interesting article on Carrel, the Nobel laureate who witnessed two miracles at Lourdes:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/VOYLOUR.HTM

C.

[Historian]

Thanks, Cetil!  I need to not be so knee-jerk in my reactions.

[dymphna17]

They're afraid of making the "Galileo" mistake again.

[Cetil]

Thanks, Cetil!  I need to not be so knee-jerk in my reactions.

No problem, Quis. My thanks to you for keeping this forum going, I used to be a moderator on  a forum myself and I don't know how you find the time or the patience!

C.