The relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science is a widely debated subject, where, diverse and even opposing opinions have been strongly argued by historians, theologians, and scientists. Catholic theologians contend that natural reason being a God-given capacity, is not opposed to the Church's teachings, and hence never contradict each other.[1] The role of Catholic Church, throughout history, has therefore led to progress of science and intuitive reasoning. This view is contested by secular historians, who contest that the question has been historically varied from active and even singular support from the Church[citation needed] to bitter clashes (with accusations of heresy) in the Middle Ages[citation needed], and back once again to a reserved support from the Church. The differences primarily arise due to the different definitions given to science. While secular philosophers consider 'science' in the restricted sense of natural science, theologians have viewed science in a very broad sense, as given by Aristotle's definition that science is the sure and evident knowledge obtained from demonstrations.[2] In this sense, science comprises the entire curriculum of university studies, and Catholic Church has claimed authority in matters of doctrine and teaching of science. With the gradual secularisation of Europe and North America, including though not limited to traditionally Catholic countries, the political power and influence of the Church over matters pertaining to scientific research has gradually faded. Where in the early days of scientific research science and theology of various kinds were considered very much intertwined, it is generally accepted[citation needed] throughout 21st Century society that the elucidations and processes of the empirical sciences and the theological claims of religions where they cross over with scientific claims (such as concerning the genesis of the universe and/or humanity) are either fully independent of each other.[citation needed]
Originally most research took place in Roman Catholic universities that were staffed by members of religious orders who had the education and means to conduct scientific investigation.[citation needed] Catholic universities, scholars and many priests including Nicolaus Copernicus, Roger Bacon, Albertus Magnus, Robert Grosseteste, Nicholas Steno, Francesco Grimaldi, Giambattista Riccioli, Roger Boscovich, Athanasius Kircher, Gregor Mendel, Georges Lemaître and many others, were responsible for many important scientific discoveries. Since the late 16th century the Jesuits have produced the large majority of priest-scientists, who contributed to worldwide cultural exchange by spreading their developments in knowledge to Asia, Africa, and the Americas.[3]
On the other hand, the conflict thesis proposes an intrinsic intellectual conflict between the Church and science. The original historical usage of the term denoted that the historical record indicates the Church’s perpetual opposition to science. Later uses of the term denote the Church's epistemological opposition to science. The conflict thesis interprets the relationship between the Church and science as inevitably leading to public hostility, when religion aggressively challenges new scientific ideas — as in the Galileo Affair (1614–15).
Another reading of this conflict revolves around the idea that the Catholic Church opposed particular scientific discoveries that it felt challenged its authority and, therefore, its empirical power. Arguments for this position focus mainly on the Church's response to perceived challenges to its teaching (and therefore authority) throughout the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and on through the Enlightenment, when the Church as a political organisation was on a sharp decline.[citation needed] This thesis shifts the emphasis away from the perception of the fundamental incompatibility of religion per se and science-in-general (a position that has been problematised by various religions, not least the Catholic Church, modifying their stand on the importance and even "sanctity"[citation needed] of science) to a critique of the structural reasons for the resistance of the Church as a political organisation to perceived threats to its justifications for its wealth, power and influence.
