Pope Pius XII gives a speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, where he alludes to the possibility that the Big Bang may be science’s discovery of the divine creation of the world. At this point, Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian priest and scientist who contributed to the Big Bang theory, intervenes. He requests a meeting with the pontiff, in preparation for the speech Pius XII was scheduled to deliver in September 1952 to the general assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The meeting is not easy, but the Belgian priest points out to the pope that he is making a terrible mistake: linking religion to science may provide a temporary advantage, but if science were to progress further, it could prove catastrophic for religion. The pope is convinced.
