Monday, October 7, 2024

Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens on the Distinct Roles of Faith and Science


Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece (+ 2008) was absolutely clear on the distinct roles of faith and science.

Speaking at a scientific conference on organ transplantation, he remarked that "in our Orthodox Church we do not confuse Science with Faith and Religion. I could say, paraphrasing the word of the Lord, that we practice 'render the things of science unto science and the things of God unto God.' Our Church, during the centuries of the birth and development of modern science, not only did not oppose its discoveries, but its clergy themselves translated the new scientific data into Greek and were the teachers of the nation in its very difficult time of slavery to the Ottomans... In our Church you will not find cases of condemnation, such as those of Giordano Bruno or Galileo. On the contrary, you will find Aristotle and Plato, Solon and Thucydides painted in the exonarthex of its churches... For our part, we rejoice in the successes and in the progress of science and technology, and we do not hesitate to capitalize on their achievements."