Pope Leo's Astronomer Just Responded to Trump's UFO Disclosure

Jesuit astronomer Br. Guy Consolmagno joins Vatican Access to discuss UFOs and what the Catholic Church really thinks about the possibility of extraterrestrial life.Known around the world as “the Pope’s astronomer,” Br. Consolmagno is a planetary scientist, former director of the Vatican Observatory, and a member of the advisory board of the SETI Institute — the organization dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

In this conversation, he reflects on the modern fascination with UFOs, why belief in aliens often functions as a substitute religion, and whether discoveries beyond Earth would challenge Christian theology or deepen it.

The discussion explores biblical passages that hint at cosmic mystery, the relationship between faith and science, the growing cultural obsession with space and figures like Elon Musk, and why both religion and science today face a common crisis: the loss of confidence that truth can actually be known.

Recorded just days after the U.S. government declassified a new trove of UFO-related images and documents, the interview examines one of humanity’s oldest questions from the perspective of one of the Church’s leading scientific voices.

Guest bio:

Br. Guy Consolmagno is a Jesuit brother, planetary scientist, and former director of the Vatican Observatory. Widely known as “the Pope’s astronomer,” he has written extensively on the relationship between faith and science and serves on the advisory board of the SETI Institute, dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.