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Interviews
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ as Director of the Vatican Observatory. Fr. D’Souza, who has been a staff member at the Observatory since 2016, succeeds Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ whose mandate ends in September 2025.
Fr. D’Souza hails from the region of Goa in India. He entered the Society in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2011. He has a doctorate in astronomy with a particular research focus on the phenomenon of galaxy merging and its effects on the properties of galaxies like the Milky Way.
In this interview, Fr. D’Souza shares his thoughts about his new role and the long tradition of Jesuit presence at the Vatican Observatory.1. The Vatican Observatory has a long and storied history and can be considered as one of the ways the Church demonstrates her support for “true and solid science” (cfr. Pope Leo XIII). How do you see this mission being lived out today?
The main way we can live out this mission is to accomplish the best scientific research possible. Through the scientific teams and projects we take part in, the research papers we publish, the scientific conferences we organize/attend, and the friendships we maintain with our scientific colleagues, we are witnessing the fact that the Church supports “true and solid science.” We have historically limited ourselves to astronomy, but today we are slowly branching out to other allied scientific disciplines, including theoretical physics and meteorology/climate science.
In the 1980s, Pope John Paul II formally commissioned the observatory to additionally promote the dialogue between science and faith in Catholic universities throughout the world. This led to a series of seminars on “divine action in the Universe” in collaboration with the Centre of Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS). Today, our members continue to take part in numerous efforts at an academic level to promote the dialogue between science and faith through articles, seminars, and meetings. A significant part of our effort is also dedicated to didactically educating the Church through seminars, both online and in-person, that faith and science go together.
2. You are a Jesuit, and the Vatican Observatory has a tradition of being staffed by Jesuits. What does it mean to be a Jesuit astronomer? How do faith and Jesuit spirituality influence your scientific work?
A Jesuit astronomer, influenced by Ignatian spirituality, has a particular vision of the world. He believes that not only is the Universe created by God, but that God is constantly acting and working for us through his creation. Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ, my predecessor, expressed this succinctly: “The more I study the Universe in all its complexity, the more I am led to praise God who created this magnificent universe.” This incarnational spirituality has motivated Jesuit scientists throughout the centuries and continues to do so even today.
One of the fundamental assumptions of the scientific method is the rationality of the Universe – a concept that has come down to us from the Greek-Hebrew world. A scientist assumes that the Universe can be described by fixed laws that can be understood by the human mind through reason, and that these laws are universal in both time and space. Our faith teaches us that God created the world as something good, and hence worthy of being studied. This is fundamentally an act of faith that is at the basis of all science.
I do not think that my faith and my Jesuit spirituality directly influence my scientific work, but they give me additional motivation to dedicate myself all the more to this great enterprise.
2. You are a Jesuit, and the Vatican Observatory has a tradition of being staffed by Jesuits. What does it mean to be a Jesuit astronomer? How do faith and Jesuit spirituality influence your scientific work?
A Jesuit astronomer, influenced by Ignatian spirituality, has a particular vision of the world. He believes that not only is the Universe created by God, but that God is constantly acting and working for us through his creation. Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ, my predecessor, expressed this succinctly: “The more I study the Universe in all its complexity, the more I am led to praise God who created this magnificent universe.” This incarnational spirituality has motivated Jesuit scientists throughout the centuries and continues to do so even today.
One of the fundamental assumptions of the scientific method is the rationality of the Universe – a concept that has come down to us from the Greek-Hebrew world. A scientist assumes that the Universe can be described by fixed laws that can be understood by the human mind through reason, and that these laws are universal in both time and space. Our faith teaches us that God created the world as something good, and hence worthy of being studied. This is fundamentally an act of faith that is at the basis of all science.
I do not think that my faith and my Jesuit spirituality directly influence my scientific work, but they give me additional motivation to dedicate myself all the more to this great enterprise.
3. With private companies and national agencies racing toward big missions in space, how does the Observatory's work stay relevant and connected to those efforts?
While space exploration has always been the prerogative of national agencies, the recent entrance of private companies into space has brought several interesting opportunities and challenges. On one hand, there is tremendous innovation in aerospace engineering due to the economic benefit that companies hope to achieve shortly, especially in terms of mining asteroids, the moon, and other planets. Although these companies are not interested in the broader scientific questions of the nature of the universe in the astronomy community, their innovations have made launching satellites for research purposes much cheaper. Yet observing from space is still very expensive. On the other hand, the tremendous explosion of satellites sent into space puts the future of ground-based astronomy at risk. Even with several high-profile astronomy satellites like HST, JWST, Planck, Newton, and Gaia, launched by the US and European National Space agencies, the bulk of astronomy research is done from ground-based telescopes. Yet, SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon, and other companies have launched tens of thousands of satellites in Low Earth Orbits (LEOs), where they leave large trails on astronomical images, thus putting at risk several large optical and radio astronomical projects. Furthermore, with the large number of satellites in space, we are now facing the difficult problem of space debris, which puts other satellites at risk. The Specola needs to work with the International Astronomical Union and other international organizations to regulate what can be launched in space and protect the future of ground-based astronomy.
4. How do you plan to build on the legacy of your predecessor while also bringing your own vision and expertise as an accomplished astrophysicist to your new role?
On being appointed to this position, I am aware of the many high-profile Jesuits who have held this position in the past and have paved the way for the Observatory’s success today: I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. My predecessor did a wonderful job of representing the observatory on an international level. His mission was to make sure that the world knows that we are doing great science and working for the Church. I hope to continue in this tradition.
I am also aware that the Specola needs to consider how it can be more effective in the future. The world of astronomy research has dramatically changed in the last 40 years. Today, the frontiers of astronomy are now routinely probed with a)larger and larger telescopes, b) instruments costing millions of euros funded by several countries together, and c) collaborations involving hundreds of scientists. The Vatican Observatory’s strategic independence does not give it automatic access to projects, instruments, and data funded by European and US research agencies.Yet, our members, through their intellectual capital and collaborative spirit, have been routinely invited to make contributions to these international projects. The challenge going forward is to help our scientific members gain access to these projects so that they can continue to make important scientific contributions on the international stage. On the other hand, the Observatory, due to its independence, can embark on scientific projects that test or challenge the current mainstream paradigms, or do a type of science that is difficult to fund in other contexts. In the coming years, the Observatory needs to balance the benefits that come from its independence with its ability to collaborate with larger international projects.
5. Is there anything recent from the Observatory—findings, projects, or research—that you’re especially excited to share?
Two things stand out for me in the last year: First, Br. Bob Macke was involved in the NASA-led OSIRIS-REx mission, which collected a small sample from the asteroid Bennu and brought it back to earth. Br. Bob, being the world expert in measuring the physical properties of meteorites, was involved in designing and building the instrument to measure these physical properties. Secondly, a recent addition to our team is Fr. Bayu Risanto, SJ, an Indonesian Jesuit specialized in meteorology and climate change. After the publication of Laudato Si, the Specola is finally launching into climate science. We expect a lot of good research from Fr. Risanto and his team.
While space exploration has always been the prerogative of national agencies, the recent entrance of private companies into space has brought several interesting opportunities and challenges. On one hand, there is tremendous innovation in aerospace engineering due to the economic benefit that companies hope to achieve shortly, especially in terms of mining asteroids, the moon, and other planets. Although these companies are not interested in the broader scientific questions of the nature of the universe in the astronomy community, their innovations have made launching satellites for research purposes much cheaper. Yet observing from space is still very expensive. On the other hand, the tremendous explosion of satellites sent into space puts the future of ground-based astronomy at risk. Even with several high-profile astronomy satellites like HST, JWST, Planck, Newton, and Gaia, launched by the US and European National Space agencies, the bulk of astronomy research is done from ground-based telescopes. Yet, SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon, and other companies have launched tens of thousands of satellites in Low Earth Orbits (LEOs), where they leave large trails on astronomical images, thus putting at risk several large optical and radio astronomical projects. Furthermore, with the large number of satellites in space, we are now facing the difficult problem of space debris, which puts other satellites at risk. The Specola needs to work with the International Astronomical Union and other international organizations to regulate what can be launched in space and protect the future of ground-based astronomy.
4. How do you plan to build on the legacy of your predecessor while also bringing your own vision and expertise as an accomplished astrophysicist to your new role?
On being appointed to this position, I am aware of the many high-profile Jesuits who have held this position in the past and have paved the way for the Observatory’s success today: I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. My predecessor did a wonderful job of representing the observatory on an international level. His mission was to make sure that the world knows that we are doing great science and working for the Church. I hope to continue in this tradition.
I am also aware that the Specola needs to consider how it can be more effective in the future. The world of astronomy research has dramatically changed in the last 40 years. Today, the frontiers of astronomy are now routinely probed with a)larger and larger telescopes, b) instruments costing millions of euros funded by several countries together, and c) collaborations involving hundreds of scientists. The Vatican Observatory’s strategic independence does not give it automatic access to projects, instruments, and data funded by European and US research agencies.Yet, our members, through their intellectual capital and collaborative spirit, have been routinely invited to make contributions to these international projects. The challenge going forward is to help our scientific members gain access to these projects so that they can continue to make important scientific contributions on the international stage. On the other hand, the Observatory, due to its independence, can embark on scientific projects that test or challenge the current mainstream paradigms, or do a type of science that is difficult to fund in other contexts. In the coming years, the Observatory needs to balance the benefits that come from its independence with its ability to collaborate with larger international projects.
5. Is there anything recent from the Observatory—findings, projects, or research—that you’re especially excited to share?
Two things stand out for me in the last year: First, Br. Bob Macke was involved in the NASA-led OSIRIS-REx mission, which collected a small sample from the asteroid Bennu and brought it back to earth. Br. Bob, being the world expert in measuring the physical properties of meteorites, was involved in designing and building the instrument to measure these physical properties. Secondly, a recent addition to our team is Fr. Bayu Risanto, SJ, an Indonesian Jesuit specialized in meteorology and climate change. After the publication of Laudato Si, the Specola is finally launching into climate science. We expect a lot of good research from Fr. Risanto and his team.
P.S.
The Vatican Observatory is also known as The Specola.
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