The University of Navarra held the First Mariano Artigas Memorial Lecture, paying tribute to the founder of group of research 'Science, Reason and Faith' (CRYF) and first Dean of the School Ecclesiastical Philosophy of campus. The activity was organized by the CRYF and financed by the John Templeton Foundation.

The lecture was given at position by William R. Shea, professor at the University of Padua (Italy) and head of the Galilean Chair History of Science. He discussed what theologians can learn from scientists in relation to the Galileo case.

En primer lugar, el profesor Shea recordó la figura de Mariano Artigas, del que fue amigo y colega, y algunas de sus vivencias profesionales y personales: "No era un hombre corriente, en el sentido de que poseía unas cualidades poco comunes. No podías llegar a conocerle sin aprender de él cuestiones intelectuales, pero también aspectos de gran relevancia sobre el corazón y el alma". 

He also referred to the origins of the book they wrote together, Galileo in Rome, which is considered one of the best written in modern times on the topic, and which has been translated into English, German, Italian, Korean and Japanese. "He was struck by the fact that the Galileo case is considered the first example of the conflict between science and religion. He did not minimize the importance of the event, but insisted that after it happened, there was never another one like it; Rome learned from that experience," he stressed.

The boundaries between the scientific and the religious

Finally, William R. Shea discussed the boundaries between what is considered scientific and what is considered religious, and the difference between the theistic and atheistic worldviews. "Virtually everyone tends toward one of the two positions. This may change over time, but for most agnostics, if they were ever to come to believe in God, it would have to be on the basis of experience staff. While dismissing the importance of traditional philosophical arguments, they have not Closed their mind to the possibility, however remote, of a meeting with a God staff".