What Does It Mean to Be a "Catholic Scientist"?

Any reference to “Catholic scientists” might appear to mean scientists who happen to be Catholics, just as one would speak of politicians, economists, or writers who happen to be Catholics. The phrase “happen to be” suggests a merely accidental pairing, as though each half of the phrase “Catholic scientists” is true but there is no whole — no real unity or single identity. A culture in which religious belief is generally relegated to the sphere of private practice encourages such a view. So we are told that we ought not to mix religion with essentially secular activity — like science.