An executive of important multinationals, married and with seven children, José Carlos González-Hurtado (Madrid, 1964), has been able to find time in recent years (most of them living outside Spain), to present a book in which he assures to have "enjoyed enormously", and "I hope the readers do too". 

The subject is "the latest scientific findings that leave no room for doubt about the need for that Something/Someone, that which we call God," says González-Hurtado. The title of the prologue, written by Alberto Dols, Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the Complutense University of Madrid, summarizes the content of the book: 'A valuable contribution to the reflection on the relationship between science and religion'. 

The book, published by Voz de Papel, "is very well documented, and to write it I have read hundreds and hundreds of documents and books in Spanish, French, English and German; it has more than 700 footnotes, but it is written so that everyone can understand it," says the author.

"In fact, I mention some anecdote with my eleven-year-old son Diego, to whom I read it as I wrote it in order to make sure it could be understood by scientists and laymen." 

Interesting topics such as the second law of thermodynamics and the end of the universe were left out of the interview, but there you have the book, which is being presented these days in Madrid. The profits from its sale will go entirely to the EWTN Spain Foundation. We begin the conversation.

You consider your book necessary, and myth-busting. For example, in the face of the myth that the more science, the less God, you affirm that the more science, the more God. Tell us about theistic scientists. 

- I think it is a necessary book for non-believers, but also very much for believers, and not only to increase faith and realize how much God the Creator thought of us when creating the universe, but also as an instrument of consultation and apologetics.

It is also a book to give to the skeptical brother-in-law and the agnostic neighbor. Given the evidence accumulating in Physics and Cosmology (from the Big BangThe majority of scientists are theists or religious, either in Mathematics (with Gödel's incompleteness theorems, Hilbert's negation of actual infinities, etc.), or in Biology, with the discoveries about the human genome and the birth of life, the majority of scientists are theists or religious.

In this sense, I believe this book is unique, since it gathers such evidence from all these fields of science. Arthur Compton, Nobel laureate in physics, corroborated this: "Rare are the scientists today who defend an atheistic attitude". Robert Millikan, another Nobel laureate in physics, went a step further by stating that "it is unthinkable to me that a real atheist could be a scientist; I have never met an intelligent man who did not believe in God". And finally Christian Anfinsen, Nobel laureate in Chemistry, put it even less charitably; "Only an idiot can be an atheist". 

And statistically?

- The data corroborate these claims. There is a study mentioned in the book, conducted by an Israeli geneticist, Baruch Aba Shalev, which studies the beliefs of all Nobel laureates of the last 100 years, and concludes that only 10 % of the laureates in scientific subjects were atheists, while more than 30 % of the Nobel laureates in literature considered themselves unbelievers. 

Other data provided in the book is that the "more scientific" or closer to the fundamental study of science, the more theistic and religious one is. And another interesting fact, young scientists are considerably more religious than scientists over the age of 65. This is not surprising, since in the last 50 years the evidence for a Creator God has accumulated -which is what the book proposes-. It is as if Providence thinks that in our time we need more scientific evidence than in other times. 

In its pages he also refers to authors of the "new atheism".

- In fact, at the beginning what I do is simply to expose the opinions of these authors, blatantly dishonest, pretentious and shameless, which are anything but scientific, and in fact put many other atheist colleagues to shame. 

These authors are the heirs of the rampant atheism in the 1930s that informed the most criminal ideologies in the history of mankind. I also mention that, contrary to pretence, the vast majority of these authors are not scientists, nor are they new, since most of them were born in the 40s of the last century. I am referring to Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, etc. Yes, Richard Dawkins studied zoology, but he is not known to have made any relevant contribution to science, although we do not lose hope. 

On the other hand, the greatest living contemporary biologist, Francis Collins, director of the human genome project, was a convert and a Christian; possibly the greatest mathematician in history, Kurt Gödel, was a Christian; the father of quantum physics, Max Planck, was also a theist and a Christian, as was Werner Heisenberg. Einstein was a theist; the father of genetics, Mendel, was a Catholic priest, as was the discoverer of the Big Bang Lemaitre, Father Lemaitre.

New scientific evidence for the existence of God

Author: José Carlos González-Hurtado

Editorial: Voz de Papel

Year: 2023

What is the most current alternative to avoid the idea of a Creator? 

- John Barrow was a professor of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University. He was a Christian who died in 2020, and he recognized that "a multitude of cosmological studies are motivated by the desire to avoid the initial singularity," i.e., to attempt to discredit the Big Bang. But the truth is that the Big Bang is part of the "standard cosmological model", as is the theory of relativity, and is beyond doubt. 

The one-time NASA director of the Apollo project, who turned from atheist to theist by dint of scientific arguments - Robert Jastrow - said that "astronomers now find that they have put themselves in a dead end, because they have proved by their own methods that the world began abruptly in an act of creation of which traces can be found in every star and every planet, and every living thing in the cosmos and on earth."

The more you know about the Big Bang (Big Bang), the more you believe in God, you assure us. 

- The Big Bang was the moment of creation of the universe, which occurred, with all certainty, 13.7 billion years ago. Before knowing this, the most accepted theory was the so-called Steady State theory. This theory proclaimed that the universe was infinite and timeless both "backward", i.e., without beginning, and "forward", i.e., without end. The Steady State is a theory that does not compromise atheism...; the eternal universe might seem that it does not need God but... It is already known that this is not true.

The universe will have an end, as predicted by the 2nd law of Thermodynamics, which was aggressively opposed by the atheistic scientists of the time. I even quote a letter from Frederick Engels to Karl Marx in which he admits that if this law were true, the existence of God would have to be admitted. 

But the universe also had a beginning - the Big Bang- and that puts atheistic scientists and non-scientists in a bind. For if there is a beginning there will also be a Beginner. If there was creation, a Creator is also necessary. We have to think that not only all the matter in the universe was created at that moment but also that time began at the Big Bang, i.e. there was no "before" the Big Bang. This leads us to a timeless -omnipotent-, non-material and intelligent being like the creator of the Big Bang. That is what we call God. 

Several topics are left out. But finally tell us about Kurt Gödel (1906-1978). 

- Kurt Gödel was arguably the most important mathematician in history and one of the most brilliant logicians, perhaps the most brilliant since Aristotle. He was a great friend of Einstein with whom he lived on the Princeton University campus. They talked about politics and God. Gödel was a Christian and in the book I also refer to some of his letters, to his mother, where he comforts her and confirms that - according to him and according to science - there must be a life after this life.

Gödel was also categorical with materialism. "Materialism is false," he warned. It is one of the consequences of his mathematical theoretical developments.

He is the author of the incompleteness theorems. They are very complex theorems but they can be summarized in that Gödel shows that in any formal system -in arithmetic for example-, there are propositions that cannot be proved or disproved. That is to say that there are truths that we cannot prove except by appealing to a higher system..., and in that higher system likewise, and so on and so forth. That is to say that in the end, in order to have consistency in mathematics or in science, we must appeal to God. 

I also mention in the book that Gödel formalized in mathematical language the ontological argument of St. Anselm that proves the existence of God.

Klara is an empathetic robot with a great capacity for learning. She is waiting at the back of the store, eager to be moved to the display case for someone to pick her out. Finally, Josie, a 14-year-old girl with an illness that is robbing her of her strength, notices her. She wants to make her her best friend. Her mother agrees and they buy her; however, she seems to have a second intention, or rather a dilemma: when her daughter dies, would it be possible for the robot to replace her, imitating her in everything so exactly that it could become the "continuation" of her daughter?

The basic question posed in Kazuo Ishiguro's (1954) latest novel, "Klara and the sun"(2021), has troubled many philosophers: What is the human being, what is it that makes us unique and unrepeatable?

For the Frenchman René Descartes (1596-1650), man is his consciousness. According to him, it would be possible to divide the world between res cogitans (thinking substance or consciousness) and res extensa (extensive substance, the body). This separation of man between consciousness and "the rest" laid the foundations for some to define us as "a consciousness that is master of its body".

The novel does not go into these depths, but the vacillations of the mother, her ex-husband, the scientist who is hired to help Klara in her task of imitation, etc., turn our stomachs. We are left with the following discussion: Is there a principle that reconciles consciousness and body? The German philosopher Robert Spaemann (1927-2018), for example, proposed that the key to overcoming this dissociation is to remember that man is a living being, since life is exteriority and interiority at the same time. Life as a principle of unity of the human being can be a way to resolve the above perplexities.

Also surprising is the point of view of the narrative. Ishiguro writes from the perspective of the robot's consciousness. Klara's "thoughts" gradually shed light on the discussion of our identity. She strives to get to know Josie, but gradually realizes that in the girl there is an invisible, distant background that might be impossible to reach, let alone imitate. It is what humans call heart. For this reason, Klara will put all her energies into taking the best possible care of Josie, so that she will be cured and will not need to be "continued" or "replaced".

The novel "Klara and the sun"moves us to reflect on the essence of man, the meaning of life, the quality of our relationships, love and all that nonsense that makes us unique and irreplaceable.

30 events including meetings, performances, workshops and guided experiences. After 800 years, the Rule of Francis will be reflected upon once again. Being in the Rule is, in fact, the central theme of the 9th edition of the "Courtyard of Francis".

"Through the Cortile of Francis," said Friar Marco Moroni, OFMConv, Custos of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis, "our Franciscan community wishes to enter the public debate in a style of fraternity. This is possible thanks to the underlying trust that each one is a treasure of good that does good to all.

The Cortile de Francesco, then, is not simply a festival, an orderly and organic set of conferences and events that can offer us thoughts, ideas, knowledge. It is rather an experience of intellectual friendship, because what changes the world are not only ideas, but people who, together, dream and develop wise ways of social good".

Introducing the event, Friar Giulio Cesareo, OFMConv, Director of the Sacred Convent Communications Office, said. "St. Francis did not write the Rule in order to obtain from the Pope a nulla osta for the lifestyle he led with his first companions. On the contrary, Francis wrote it to ask the Pope if the existence they were leading was in conformity with the Gospel of Christ, the only true goal of their life.

From this point of view, reflecting on "being in order" in the Cortile of Francis means promoting our freedom - the inexhaustible yearning of everyone's heart - with everyone else and never without them! In our times, so marked by the breakdown of social bonds and widespread aggressiveness, the rules of the good and beautiful life are at the service of a social lifestyle that places respect and care at the center, a civic expression of that fraternity of which St. Francis is the undisputed inspiration".

This edition features numerous guests, including Comieco CEO Carlo Montalbetti, businessman Brunello Cucinelli and the President of the National Federation of the Italian Press, Vittorio Di Trapani.

"We must change the anthropological principle that has prevailed for three centuries according to which Homo hominis lupus and adopt the thought of St. Francis according to which man is by nature a friend of another man," said economist Stefano Zamagni during the introductory panel on "New Rules for a New Economy." "We must not be afraid," he stressed, "even the sea needs rocks to reach higher," encouraging those present to face the obstacles of our time. The environment and climate change were also the focus of the first day.

The climate crisis can become a great opportunity for growth and development, because - as Rossella Muroni, ecologist and sociologist, pointed out - we are in the era in which we should be concerned with making people's happiness grow. The first day concluded with the screening of the docufilm "Perugino. Immortal Renaissance.

The day of Saturday, September 16, will be marked by an event defined as "historic" by the promoters (entitled "The Gospel is Life: the Rule of Francis" - 11:30 a.m. - Cimabue Hall). Sala Cimabue): the Ministers General of the Franciscan First Order, 800 years after the confirmation of the Rule of St. Francis by Honorius III on November 29, 1223, will gather in Assisi - together with many friars of the various religious families - to reflect together on the present and the challenges of Franciscan life in the third millennium.

The dialogue will be enriched by the presence of Maria Pia Alberzoni (historian of Franciscanism), Friar Sabino Chialà (prior of the monastic community of Bose) and Davide Rondoni (internationally renowned poet and President of the National Committee for the celebrations of the VIII Centenary of the death of St. Francis). On the same day, Saturday 16, a dialogue entitled "TV: mother or stepmother?" will be held between Giampaolo Rossi, general director of Rai, and the director of the Osservatore Romano Andrea Monda. A reflection on the challenges of quality programming that can be combined with the search for truth, pluralism and audience ratings.

This year there will also be a "Children's Courtyard", the usual event reserved for the little ones, as well as guided experiences inside the library, the archives and the basilica.

And then the guided experiences in the Archives and Library of the Sacro Convento and in the Basilica of St. Francis, and the activities for the little ones in the Children's Courtyard, on the lawn of the upper church.

The round tables and conferences of the Cortile de Francisco 2023 are streamed on the YouTube channel "Patio de Francisco". The complete program is available at www.cortiledifrancesco.it

Closing the three-day event will be the company Donne del Muro Alto (composed of former inmates of Rome's Rebibbia prison) with a theatrical performance of Medea in Tailor's Shop in the setting of Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco at 9 p.m. on September 16.

The Chancellery Palace is one of the architectural jewels of the Italian Renaissance. Unlike other palaces in the Eternal City, which were modified in the style that characterized the sixteenth century, this building was the first to be built 'ex novo' in Renaissance style and is one of the most beautiful in Rome.

The construction of this palace is not without something Cyclopean: to make it, it was necessary to dismantle and move about 30 meters away the ancient basilica of "San Lorenzo in Damaso", today included within the complex; its foundations in that then marshy area took advantage of the bases of existing Roman buildings and although other new foundations were necessary; and the marble columns of the courtyard - taken from the Baths of Caracalla - "turned from fluted to smooth thanks to the work of the craftsmen," explained the architect Claudia Conforti who presided over the visit.

In the Apostolic Chancellery, which today also houses the tribunals of the Holy See - the Roman Rota, the Apostolic Signatura and the Penitentiary- was opened to the press by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) on September 13, 2023, on the occasion of the presentation of a documentary on the restoration of the architectural complex.

Nunzio Galantino, pointed out this initiative as a response "to the invitation to transparency from the APSA administration"He also recalled that 60 percent of the 1.5 million square meters of the Vatican's patrimony does not yield economic returns and stressed that "good administration also means distributing beauty, culture and transmitting history. He also recalled that 60 percent of the 1.5 million square meters of the Vatican's patrimony does not yield economic returns and stressed that "good administration also means distributing beauty, culture and transmitting history".

Inside, on the second floor, there is one of the most extraordinary spaces of the building: the Vasari Room or of the 100 days, because it was made in just over three months by the artist Giorgio Vasari, surrounded by frescoes with depth effects (3D) that make the visitor have the feeling that you can enter inside them.

Claudia Conforti, professor of architectural history, did not hesitate to define these paintings as "a colossal propaganda machine" in which "each painting is a theatrical scene" at a time when not everyone knew how to read or write, and which immortalizes moments such as the summit in Nice in 1538 between Pope Paul III, Francis of Valois and Emperor Charles V.

Before it, we pass through the Sala Regia, of enormous dimensions and with paintings made in the early eighteenth century, during the pontificate of Clement XI, taking advantage of the cartons used as models for various gobelins that are currently in the Vatican.

The imposing palace with its travertine marble facade was built on the initiative of Cardinal Raffaele Riario, passionate about Imperial Rome and nephew of Sixtus IV, on the site of what was the oldest parish church in Rome and where there was a building from the fourth century, from the time of Pope Damasus.

"The influence of Bramante -genius Renaissance architect- is clear in the structure, although it was never documented, as well as the use of the so-called 'golden ratio' in the design, sizes and symmetry," explained engineer Mauro Tomassini

In the hypogeum or subway, there is a tomb of the consul Aulio Irzio, submerged in the water of an artificial channel still visible, made in Roman times to make the water flow from the baths of Agrippa to the Tiber River.

The Palazzo della Cancelleria, one of the most beautiful monuments in Rome, a stone's throw from Campo De' Fiori, is normally closed to the public, but inside there is an exhibition on Leonardo Da Vinci and his inventions, which allows you to enter the monumental cloister of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and part of its subway.