This month of July marks the 100^th anniversary of The Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee.  A high school teacher in that city, John Thomas Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach human evolution in any public school or university.  Also in July 1925, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin faced his own trial over the same subject.  Although knowing that all of the scientific evidence supported evolution on a cosmic scale, Teilhard also had a deep love for both Christ and the Church.  And so, in July 1925, after a week’s retreat and reflection, Teilhard signed a document, demanded by his Jesuit superiors, repudiating his writings on original sin and evolution. He was removed from teaching, was forbidden to publish anything on religion, and was exiled to China.

Though differing “trials” in some ways – The Scopes Trial was about the legality of teaching evolution, while Teilhard’s case centered on the theological implications of evolution – both mark one hundred years of a seemingly never-ending cultural struggle between science and religious belief.  That struggle persists to this day.

Learn more about this period in the life of this French Jesuit priest and scientist in the PBS documentary TEILHARD: Visionary Scientist. Stream it on the free PBS app (download at https://bit.ly/DownloadPBSApp), or use PBS Passport. Or use this direct link, https://to.pbs.org/3R89ycC, available to international viewers as well. See these resources for more information on Teilhard and evolution.

The theme “Everything Is Connected” framed the dialogue of an April 28 panel discussion at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. that explored how Catholic social teaching themes found in both Laudato Si’ and Teilhard de Chardin’s work offer a moral framework for addressing the ecological crises of our time and foster a deeper sense of solidarity with all of creation.  The panel of four included Frank Frost, who wrote and directed the documentary, TEILHARD: Visionary Scientist, which was produced in collaboration with his wife, Mary. The event was co-sponsored by Georgetown’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. 

Speaking of the film, Frank described it as a “human story of a very complex person,” and noted that the audience for the film – like the audience that Pope Francis called to Laudato Si’ – is the whole world.  The moderator for the discussion, Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, asked Frank to speak to a particular line in the film – “Teilhard bridges theology and science.” As part of his response, he pointed to an inscription under the arch of the hall in which the discussion took place – a line that ends the documentary: “The age of nations is past. It remains for us now, if we are not to perish, to set aside the ancient prejudices and to build the earth.” “That,” he added, “says a lot of what Laudato Si’ is saying too.”

View the entire panel discussion at this link.  Read more about it on the Georgetown University website, as well as in this article in Today’s American Catholic.

We celebrate the May 15, 2025 announcement that TEILHARD: Visionary Scientist has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the category, Historical Documentary.  The awards will be given out June 21.  Stream this documentary on the life and legacy of this French Jesuit priest and scientist on the free PBS app (download at https://bit.ly/DownloadPBSApp), or use PBS Passport. Or use this direct link, https://to.pbs.org/3R89ycC, available to international viewers as well. This website has many resources related to the film.

NOTE: While TEILHARD: Visionary Scientist did not win the Emmy, it was an honor to be nominated and to be part of the event.

This year is the 70^th anniversary of Jesuit mystic and scientist Teilhard de Chardin’s death in New York City.  Maryland Public Television (Channel 22 in the Baltimore-Washington region) will broadcast the film, Teilhard: Visionary Scientist, on April 20, Easter Sunday 2025, at 3:30pm.  The film tells the story of the early 20th Century French Jesuit priest and scientist and his transformational insight into science and faith.  The film can also be streamed at your convenience here: https://www.pbs.org/…/teilhard-visionary-scientist-pt9dc1/    Find resources here connected to the film. For further reading from Teilhard de Chardin, click here. This link includes further reading by scholars.