Abstract

The concept of human ecology was introduced into Catholic pastoral documents by John Paul II, in his 1991 encyclical Centesimus annus. As an exquisitely interdisciplinary field of enquiry, human ecology involves a great many scientific, ethical and religious questions. Thus, it can be chosen as an appropriate case study in the dialogue between faith and science. After a review of the ways in which the relationships between faith and science have been addressed, an original model for their interaction is proposed. Then, this new model is tested in the specific case of human ecology, as well as in that of the relationship between the God of the universe and the laws of nature.