Vatican Has Its Own Telescope

The connection between the Holy See and the stars is surprisingly deep, extending far beyond spiritual matters. The modern Vatican Observatory was officially founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 with a clear mission: to show the world that the Church is not hostile (Review) to science, but rather embraces it as a path to understanding creation. This initiative was a direct response to the 19th-century perception of a conflict between faith and reason. The observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical institutions in the world, continuing a long tradition of Church-supported scientific inquiry that dates back centuries.

While its headquarters are in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the observatory's primary research instrument is far from Rome's city lights. To ensure the clearest possible views of the cosmos, the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (Deals) (VATT) is located atop Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona. In partnership with the University of Arizona, staff astronomers and visiting scholars use the VATT for a range of modern astronomical studies. Their work has contributed significantly to fields like the classification of meteorites, the study of star evolution, and understanding the formation and structure of distant galaxies.