[meteorite-list] Vatican Meteorite Collection (was: Update: Captain Scott's meteorites)

[Richard]

Pete Pete wrote:

> Hi, all,
>
> Speaking of Hidden Treasures, is the Vatican meteorite collection ever 
> displayed for the public? I think I read somewhere that this is the 
> largest private collection of meteorites in the world...
>
> Off topic, and somewhat rhetorical, I wonder why the RC church would 
> have such a huge collection of items which contradicts their doctrine 
> that the universe is only 6,000 to 10,000 years old...
>
>
>
>
Hi Pete and list,
The Vatican meteorite collection is stored in the Vatican Observatory 
which is one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the 
world. It is located at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, 
near Rome. (Its dependent reseach centre, the Vatican Observatory 
Reseach Group, is hosted by Steward Observatory at the University of 
Arizona, Tucson and this group operates the 1.8m telescope and 
astrophysics facility at the Mount Graham International Observatory in 
southeastern Arizona). The Vatican Observatory is run by the Jesuit 
order of the Catholic Church and the Jesuits have always been known for 
their intellectual persuits especially in the sciences. To quote from 
"Jesuits and the Sciences: 1540-1995" (Loyola University Chicago)

/A remarkable characteristic of the Society of Jesus during the period 
of its first founding (1540-1773) was the involvement of its members in 
the sciences. The reasons for this interest in scientific study can be 
found in the nature and mission of the order itself. Saint Ignatius 
Loyola considered the acquisition of knowledge and the performance of 
mundane labor as spiritually profitable tasks, and this fostered in the 
Society an action-oriented, utilitarian mentality sympathetic to 
scientific study. In addition, the role of the Society as the 
"schoolmasters of Europe" meant that the pedagogically (and 
scientifically) useful principles of rationality, method and efficiency 
were highly valued.

/An excellent summary of the history of the Jesuits in Science can be 
read at   http://libraries.luc.edu/about/exhibits/jesuits/

When I was studying geology at University some years ago, one of my 
lecturers in geophysics was Dr Laurie Drake, a Jesuit priest at St 
Ignatius College and was also the Director of the Riverview 
Seismological Observatory and he subsequently took up an appointment as 
the Director of the San Calixto Observatory in La Paz, Bolivia.

The Director of the Vatican Obseratory is George Coyne who is both a 
Jesuit priest and has a doctorate in astronomy from Georgetown 
University. The Curator of the Vatican meteorite collection and Vatican 
astronomer is Guy Consolmagno and he is a graduate of the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona. Consolmagno is 
author of /Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist/ and 
has been quoted as saying that studying meteorites and astronomy  "is 
our way of finding God". Astronomy was one of the original seven 
subjects taught at the medieval universities founded by the Catholic 
Church. Vatican support for astronomy dates from 1582 when Pope Gregory 
XIII asked Jesuit mathematician Christopher Clavius to help reform the 
calender. Over the next 300 years the papacy founded three observatories 
in Rome and one of the highlights of those early efforts came in the mid 
1800s when another famous Jesuit, Angelo Secchi, became the first 
astronomer to classify stars by their spectra.

A very good brief article about the Vatican Observatory and its work can 
be found at Space.com   
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/vatican_observe_000716.html

Coincidentally, just a few days ago here in Australia, our ABC TV 
screened a fascinating program about the Vatican Observatory and its 
Jesuits scientists entitled "Galileo's Sons". At one point in the film 
we see Guy Consolmagno talking to visitors about meteorites in front of 
one of the display cases of meteorites in the Vatican collection 
(unfortunately,an all too brief glimpse of the collection) So, at least 
some of the collection is on display and visitors can get to see it 
(there are guided tours of the observatory).I can highly recommend this 
film. For more information about the film see 
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/gal.html. A DVD is available (but 
is expensive - maybe you can convince your local library to acquire it).

Regards
Richard Depledge