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John Paul discouraged research, Hawking says
By TIMES WIRES
Published June 16, 2006
HONG KONG - Famed physicist Stephen Hawking said Thursday that Pope John Paul II tried to discourage him and other scientists attending a cosmology conference at the Vatican from trying to figure out how the universe began. The British scientist joked he was lucky the pope didn't realize he had already presented a paper at the gathering suggesting how the universe was created. "I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo," Hawking said in a lecture to a soldout audience at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Hawking did not say when the Vatican meeting was held. Hawking said the pope told the scientists, "It's okay to study the universe and where it began. But we should not inquire into the beginning itself because that was the moment of creation and the work of God." The physicist, author of the bestseller A Brief History of Time, ended his lecture saying, "We are getting closer to answering the age-old questions: Why are we here? Where did we come from?" 2 men's burned bodies found in volcano shelter MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia - Two men who sought shelter from an erupting volcano in an underground bunker were found dead from burns today, officials said. The men fled to the steel shelter on Wednesday while evacuating villagers during a burst of volcanic activity on Mount Merapi, and the bunker was later covered with up to 6 feet of fiery debris. 38th bird flu death reported in Indonesia The death of a 38th person of avian flu in Indonesia was confirmed by the World Health Organization on Thursday, as the situation in the country continued to worsen. The World Bank said Monday that the country was mounting a disorganized and underfinanced response. The World Animal Health Organization said Indonesia was no longer counting most poultry outbreaks - in the last year, it has reported the deaths of only 800 chickens.
[Last modified June 16, 2006, 07:10:14]
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