Earlier this month, a lecture on the most scientifically-proven miracle in the history of the Catholic Church was attended by sixty people. Even after five centuries, the Marian apparitions witnessed by Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin and his uncle, Juan Bernardino, in December 1531, continue to baffle modern science in numerous ways.
On October 9, the Yale Center in Beijing will host a forum dedicated to Father Ferdinand Verbiest’s life and legacy. Co-organized by the Macau Ricci Institute, the initiative takes place on the exact day when the 400th anniversary of the birth of the influential Flemish Jesuit will be celebrated. Ferdinand Verbiest, Father Stephan Rothlin says, is still a perfect example of a rational and scientific approach to dialogue with China.