| Sumario: | Georges Lemaître, a Belgian mathematical physicist, cosmologist, and Roman Catholic priest, is generally recognized as the founding father of modern Big Bang cosmology. However, his position and/or contributions to the dialogue between science and faith are often not well known or mischaracterized, partly because most of his writings and lectures were done in French and hence relatively unavailable in the English language. This article draws from four historic sources, two of which contain his own words on the topic—a 1933 interview he gave to The New York Times, a lecture he delivered at the 1936 Catholic Congress of the Malines, and his interactions, separately, with Albert Einstein and Pope Pius XII—to outline Lemaître's views on science and faith dialogue and show that his approach is more expansive and nuanced than generally acknowledged. Finally, the article provides some personal reflections on Lemaître's approach and contributions to science and faith dialogue, and potential lessons for today's scientist-Christian scholar.
|