Never take an English tabloid at its word, especially if it has a 500 year-old
cultural anti-Catholic agenda.

Nick Woolf, an astronomer who works in Arizona, gave me kind permission
to post this letter:

Dear friends,

Probably you may have learned that I have been appointed new Director of
the Vatican Observatory. It may sound like a joke! God has a fine sense of
humor. Seriously, I am very grateful to the Holy Father and to my
superiors for their confidence in me.

At the time of the appointment, I was participating in the IAU
General Assembly in Prague and George Coyne was taking a very well
deserved vacation. I've just talked to George on the phone and we both
agreed that I would send a message making the "official announcement".

Unfortunately, The Daily Mail has published an article entitled "Pope
Sacks Astronomer Over Evolution Debate". This article is absolutely
false.

In May, after 28 years, George asked our superiors if they didn't think
it was time for the Vatican Observatory to select a new director and
they agreed to accept his resignation as well as appoint a new director.

George will take a year's sabbatical in Raleigh, N.C., before rejoining
the Vatican Observatory in September 2007. He continues to direct the
Vatican Observatory Foundation.

All the staff are most grateful to George for his years of inspired
directorship. Personally, I am very happy that George Coyne will continue
as President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation and that after the
sabbatical year he will be back with the Vatican Observatory. We need
George back. I am also quite pleased and happy with the full support that
I have from my brother Jesuits, included George.

The Vatican Observatory I "receive" is in very good shape; we just need to
keep doing good work. The challenge I am facing is an "impossible mission"
that with the help of my Jesuits brothers will be made "possible".

Sincerely.

Jose Funes, S.J.

The same list I got this from also indicates that Father Coyne has cancer,
but I too would like more details from multiple sources.

Despite the musings of history, the Church as a rule has been far more
concerned about losings its power status rather than trying to squelch
every instance of science attempting to triumph over religion. They burned
Bruno more for his threatening theology than his proclamation that every
star is a sun that has planets with life on them. And Galileo might have
avoided his fate had he known when and where to defend his views and
when to retreat.

See here about Bruno and what he was really charged with:

http://www.setileague.org/editor/brunoalt.htm

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Church was the keeper and
dispenser of most of the knowledge that would otherwise have been lost
forever in the West.