Stephen Hawking's Catholic????

No, he's not, but he is a sitting member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, something I learned about while reading my September issue of Discover Magazine. The Vatican has an academy of highly distinguished scientists whose job it is to decipher current topics in science and debate issues that arise from modern scientific research. It started many ages ago and over time has come to include a roster of the most cherished scientists of our times (Max Planck, Neils Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, and Stephen Hawking). They don't have to be Catholic to sit on the Assembly and new members are chosen by the current members and vetted by the Holy See. You should really read the article. It is actually quite remarkable. I've always been one who sees no discord between religion and science and feels you can be religious while also appreciating and deeply studying science without producing any cognitive dissonance whatsoever. For those of you who disagree, or even for those who just couldn't care less, this article is worth a read. It has some surprising insights, especially if you equate Catholics with Creationists.