Does God have anything to say to Science? Is Science enough to explain all of reality? Can Science contradict religious beliefs? These were some of the questions that were raised last Friday, November 28th in theauditorium of high school Mayor Belagua on the occasion of the discussion held between the Jesuit and astrophysicist José Gabriel Funes and the scientist César Tomé. The former is director of the Vatican Astronomical Observatory and the latter is a chemist and publisher of Cienciasfera and notebook of Scientific Culture.

Tomé based his argument on demonstrating the error of believers considering God, according to his point of view, under three aspects: God as a hypothesis, God as a being who reveals himself to men; and, thirdly that God is the one who takes the initiative for you to believe in him. According to Tomé, God is the resource to which we turn to explain what we do not know - "a God who is a "God who is a clogger", he called it - and we cannot reach Him scientifically because, as believers say, we know Him because He reveals Himself and demands, moreover, that He does so with whomever He wishes.

For José Gabriel Funes, these objections do not prove that God does not exist, but rather that God cannot be accessed by a certain path. For Funes, the most important thing is to recover the dialogue between scientists and philosophers and theologians to enrich the discussion. "There is a risk of scientific fundamentalism, he said, which leads to rejecting any knowledge that cannot be accessed by the scientific method". According to director of the Vatican Astrophysical Observatory, "what atheist scientists reject are the false images of God generated by some fundamentalist believers. That is why it is necessary for a man of faith to have a solid scientific training , and vice versa".

In his reply, Tomé encouraged those present to have "an advanced concept of God", which is deeper and more critical, something with which he fully agreed with Funes, who, he said, often wonders why there are excellent and cultivated people who do not have faith.

Asked about the ultimate origin of the universe, Tomé acknowledged that science "cannot explain it, but that does not mean that its cause is God. Among other things, because since God is eternal, according to believers, it would be impossible for him to create in time". For Funes, the new scientific discoveries are opportunities to deepen in the knowledge of God. According to him "the Church rejoices like a mother before each scientific advance because faith gives hope to know that no new knowledge can contradict God". Tomé agreed with this statement.

The discussion was moderated by Javier Novo, professor of the School of Sciences of the University of Navarra who raised at the end of the discussion some of the questions written during the discussion by the attendees.

The Belagua Debates started last year and, on future occasions, other current issues will be addressed, such as the socialist systems in Latin America or the Education concerted.