Coyne sent packing for intelligent design views?
[by j.d.]
The Commissar mentioned Father George Coyne, the now-former director of the Vatican Observatory, who was replaced on August 19.
On Monday, al-Ghardiyan ran a piece that strongly insinuated that Coyne was replaced because of his views on “intelligent design”, which is what the Commissar mentioned lo those many moons ago.
One of my fellow Kansans has put together some newer information. Coyne’s replacement, Father Jose Funes, wrote this e-mail explaining the situation:
Probably you may have learned that I have been appointed new Director of the Vatican Observatory. At the time of the appointment, I was participating in the IA General Assembly in Prague and George Coyne was taking a very well deserved vacation. I’ve talked to George on the phone and we both agreed that I would send a message making the “official announcement”.
Unfortunately, The Daily Mail has published an article entitled “Pope Sacks Astronomer Over Evolution Debate“. This article is absolutely false.
In May, after 28 years, George asked our superiors if they didn’t think it was time for the Vatican Observatory to select a new director and they agreed to accept his resignation as well as appoint a new director. George will take a year’s sabbatical in Raleigh, N.C., before rejoining the Vatican Observatory in September 2007. He continues to direct the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
All the staff are most grateful to George for his years of inspired directorship. Personally, I am very happy that George Coyne will continue as President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation and that after the sabbatical year he will be back with the Vatican Observatory. We need George back. I am also quite pleased and happy with the full support that I have from all the staff, included [sic]George.
The link above to the Daily Mail piece in question was added by me. It turns out that Father Coyne has cancer:
Coyne, who is undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer, has been forced to quit because of the pressures of work at a prestigious astronomy lab that has offshoots all over the world, including Arizona in the US .
Shortly before filing his retirement request this month, the stargazer penned an article for the authoritative science monthly Newton in which he said “God isn’t a designer and life is the fruit of billions of attempts” .
“People who want to see designers…should go to Milan or, if they’re looking for engineers, to Dubai where they’re building a whole new city,” Coyne wrote. The Vatican has denied a report in the London-based Daily Mail that the ailing prelate was “removed” because he had “irritated” the pope.
With a bureaucracy as huge as the Catholic Church, we may never know what actually transpired here. The replacement of Father Coyne appears, at least for now, to be a simple coincidence.
The boss adds: Let’s not spoil PZ Myers’ fulminations.
Intelligent Design?
Pope disses evolution
Witness: ‘Design’ Replaced ‘Creation’
“Critical Analysis” - the new ID
Behe says God did it