- 04 October, 2025
4 October,2025: Fr. Richard D’Souza, S.J., recently appointed Director of the Vatican Observatory by Pope Leo XIV, has a story that brings together faith, science, and resilience. Born and raised in Goa, his journey from a boy curious about the night sky to a leading priest-scientist shows his dedication to both astronomy and his calling to serve God.
In this interview, Fr. Richard shares how his journey unfolded. He explains the Church’s stance on scientific exploration and how his work at the Vatican Observatory deepens both his study of the universe and his belief in God. Each new discovery, he reflects, strengthens his awe for God.
Fr. Richard’s mother, Mrs. Mary D’Souza, speaks of him with quiet pride: “Richie was so fascinated about the universe from his childhood. He is very humble and a fervent priest. At the time of his ordination, we felt so elevated to heavenly joy. Our first son has gone to God, and we wanted Richard to be with us, but he was very firm in his call to priesthood. Today we are happy that he does great things for the Church as a priest and for the world as a scientist.”
Interview with Fr. Richard D'Souza:
1. As a child, were you fond of the stars and the moon? When did your interest in astronomy begin?
I was always drawn to the sciences and engineering. When I joined the Jesuits, I read extensively about their work in astronomy and the sciences. During my formation, my Jesuit superiors asked me to specialise in astronomy, and from there my interest in the field deepened.
2. How did your journey as a priest and scientist unfold?
Growing up, I studied at St. Britto High School in Mapusa, Goa, a Jesuit institution, from the 8th to the 10th grade. It was during this time that I came to know the Jesuits and felt inspired by their way of life. I joined the Society of Jesus in 1996 in Belgaum, India, and was ordained a priest in December 2011.
I began studying physics and astronomy after joining the Society of Jesus, but before starting my philosophy studies, having completed a master’s degree in Physics at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Eight years later, after completing my priestly formation, I resumed my scientific studies and earned a PhD in astronomy at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Munich, Germany. My research focuses on the formation and evolution of galaxies. In particular, I aim to infer the history of galaxies like our Milky Way.
3. How do you balance your call to priesthood and Science? Do they complement each other?
For me both of them go hand-in-hand. This is because I have been explicitly asked by my superiors to study astronomy, to be a scientist and to work at the Observatory as a Jesuit priest. Working at the Vatican Observatory is part of the mission of the Church – to preach the Gospel and the Kingdom of God – even within the scientific and secular domains. On the other hand, as a Catholic, I firmly believe that God has created the universe and is present in it. The more I discover the Universe as a scientist, the more I give praise and glory to its creator.
4. How do you feel the stand of the Church on matters of Faith, Religion and Science?
I think the Church has a very balanced view on faith and science. The various documents of the Church as well as some of the letters of the Holy Fathers (especially those from John Paul II) speak of the rich value of how science and faith can work together. However, in the past, the Church has often made a number of mistakes with regards to science – especially in the case of Galileo, but also in number of other instances like evolution, etc – where the theological implications of these findings seem to infringe on the deposit of the faith. Hopefully, the Church has learnt from its past mistakes.
5. Can science and Scripture meet? How do you compare the creation story in Genesis with the Big Bang theory?
The Book of Genesis is a full of rich theological insights of how God created the Universe and the relationship of humankind with God, the world and itself. In fact, the first few chapters of the Book of Genesis are most dense in theological insights that can be found anywhere in the Bible. The central insight from the Book of Genesis is that God created the world, and that created things cannot and should not be worshipped as gods.
Today, science holds the theory that the universe was created in a Big Bang. Now this is a very catholic idea. It was Fr George Lemaitre, a Belgian Catholic priest, who first suggested this idea – after studying the equations of theory of relativity according to Einstein and applying them to the Universe. He realised that if the universe was expanding, then it was smaller in the past. If we would extrapolate back to the extreme past, then the universe would get smaller and denser, and originate from a single point – which was then given the name the Big Bang. The Big Bang is a very Catholic idea because it underlies the fact that the universe had a beginning, and as a consequence a Creator.
6. How did you get to Vatican Observatory? How long are you there?
During my master’s studies, I was approached by the Vatican Observatory to train to be an astronomer and to join their staff. I have been here at the Observatory in Rome since then.
My main job at the Vatican observatory is doing astronomical research. A large part of my day is spent doing research, writing papers and presenting these results to the scientific community. Besides strict astronomical research, we are also involved in giving public talks – explaining to the world and to the Church – that science and religion can go together.
7. As a priest-scientist, how do you connect human existence, the universe’s future, and life beyond Earth?
Some of the deepest, most timeless questions of humankind actually lie at the very heart of astronomy itself. These aren’t just abstract curiosities—they shape the foundations of different fields of astronomical research.
The first question, “Where do we come from?”, directs us to study the origins of the universe, galaxies, stars, and planets. This is also where my own field of research lies. In fact, a large portion of astronomical inquiry finds itself circling around this very mystery of beginnings.
The second question, “Where are we going?”, takes us to the future of the universe. Since that future depends on its composition, it becomes essential to explore the nature of dark energy—a component that could be driving the universe’s accelerated expansion.
Finally, the third question, “Are we alone?”, opens the door to the search for life beyond Earth. This includes looking for extra-solar planets, understanding their composition, and examining whether their conditions might be capable of sustaining life.
8. What is your message to the youth of today?
To the youth of today, I would suggest two things: First, dream big. It is only by dreaming big, that we can reach somewhere. Second, don’t look or settle for easy answers. Most problems in life require deep reflection and research. Make it your life mission to search for the truth, to always question, and not to settle for ready-made answers.
9. What has been the Church’s role in the development of science throughout history? When was the Vatican Observatory established?
The Church has always been interested in the sciences. Even at the time of Galileo, there were many Catholic priests who were astronomers and scientists who made many important discoveries. Some of them even discussed and debated with Galileo, though often they argued about the veracity of each other’s claims. In hindsight, we now can say that in some cases, Galileo was correct, but in others, he was wrong.
Even before Galileo, Pope Gregory XIII had asked the Church astronomers, especially Fr. Christopher Clavius, a Jesuit mathematician and astronomer, to reform the existing calendar in order to fix the date of Easter. Since the 16th century, the Popes had observatories in some form or the other. The present Vatican Observatory was started in 1890, partly because due to the unification of Italy, the Italian State took away all the papal observatories. But the Church has in its own way always supported astronomy.
10. Could you tell something about your family?
My parents live in Goa, and I am presently their only child. I had a brother, who died shortly after I joined the Jesuit novitiate. I come from a rather simple family. My parents used to work in Kuwait, and after the first gulf war, we returned as refugees and settled down back in Goa. I was 12 at the time we returned. I then spent the rest of my childhood in Goa – I came to know the Jesuits there.
11. What are your contributions as a scientist to the church and the world?
One of my contributions to the field of science is to understand how to decipher the merger history of galaxies. We know that galaxies grow in science by creating new stars but also by merging with other smaller galaxies due to gravity. In order to understand how galaxies grow, astronomers would like to reconstruct the merger history of a galaxy – namely, to decipher which smaller galaxies merged with the larger galaxy. This is quite a difficult problem especially for external galaxies like the Milky Way. Through my research, I was able to show how it was possible to constrain the mass/size of the largest galaxy which merged with the parent galaxy. This was a huge step forward for the field.
In 2018, along with Eric Bell, I was able to demonstrate that our nearest galactic neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy – had eaten up (merged) with a galaxy which was half the size of the Milky Way, and that its remnant survives today as another smaller galaxy called M32. We named the original galaxy which was almost completely destroyed as M32p.
12. How do science and faith complement each other in your life?
By doing research in astronomy and by being a Jesuit priest, I am able to bear witness to the fact that science and religion go together. A lot of my efforts are invested into making known the fact that the Church has a rich tradition of Catholic scientists, and that science and faith are compatible. My work is to understand how nature works. The more I discover about nature, the more I am able to give praise to God, who created the world in this wonderful and complicated way.
Today, my vocation as a priest is to reach out to a new particular type of audience – that is, the scientific community, a community which the Church at times has difficulty in reaching out too.
By Sr. Soniya K Chacko DC
Daughter of Charity of St Vincent de Paul
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