The “Science and Faith - STOQ Foundation,” now known as “Sciences and Faith in Open Dialogue – Scienza e Fede in Dialogo Aperto, SFIDA” is rooted in the STOQ Project (Science, Theology, and the Ontological Quest) and represents its culmination after eight years of intense and fruitful activity.
The STOQ Project emerged from the legacy of the Galileo Commission, established by Pope John Paul II in 1981 and concluded in 1992 under the leadership of Cardinal Paul Poupard, as well as the Jubilee of Scientists (May 25, 2000). The identity and mission of this Project are anchored in the magisterial reference of the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (n. 36), the significant addresses by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the relationship between science and faith, and in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter Fides et Ratio (September 14, 1998), which establishes and promotes the dialogue and mutual collaboration between the two realms: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”
Initiated in 2003 and coordinated by the Pontifical Council for Culture, first under Cardinal Paul Poupard and, from October 2007, under Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the STOQ Project was born from the ongoing and qualified collaboration of several Roman Pontifical Universities.
The establishment of the “Science and Faith - STOQ Foundation” aimed to ensure continuity for the significant projects already in operation and to provide the necessary stability for the STOQ Project, facilitating high-quality academic research and cultural dissemination on the dialogue between science and faith. In this way, the Foundation intended to become a solid reference point that looked out from the Holy See towards the world, within the context of a new evangelization that included the scientific universe of Christian culture.
On March 19, 2022, with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Pope Francis reformed the Roman Curia in its service to the Church and the world. The Pontifical Council for Culture merged with the Congregation for Catholic Education to form the new Dicastery for Culture and Education, tasked with promoting fruitful integration between the two areas. The Foundation, now an instrumental legal entity of the Dicastery, is similarly called to expand its objectives and activities by integrating cultural and educational dimensions within a framework that encompasses all scientific disciplines, including the humanities, and placing them in dialogue with faith. This expansion is reflected in the Foundation's new name, “Sciences and Faith in Open Dialogue - SFIDA.”