Rev. prof. Michał Heller a Templeton Prize laureate

Reverend Michał Heller, outstanding Polish Catholic philosopher, professor of Pontifical Academy of Theology in Cracow (Papieska Akademia Teologiczna), has won  this year's Templeton Prize, which is awarded for the extraordinary  achievements in the philosophy field and for the Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities.
About the Prize - valued at 1,6 millions dollars - prof. Heller was informed in New York, in the day of his birth (he was born in Tarnów in 1936, 12th of March). The Templeton Prize is going to be handed in on 7th of May in Buckingham Palace in London.  It is the world's largest annual monetary award given to an individual scientist.
The Templeton Prize is given for contribution in building up a link between natural science, philosophy and theology, and to  encourage the concept that resources and manpower are needed to accelerate progress in spiritual discoveries. Professor Heller dedicated his whole live to it. "He is full-blooded scientist, cosmologist well known all around the world and in the same time he is a philosopher and theologist" - said Stanisław Wszołek, dean of the Philosophical Department PAT, during the press conference in Cracow.
Prof. Michał Heller is famous physicist, cosmologist, philosopher and theologist, member of the Watykańskie Obserwatorium Astronomiczne i Papieska Akademii Nauk, Polskie Towarzystwo Fizyczne, Polskie Towarzystwo Astronomiczne, International Society for General Relativity and Gravitation, European Physical Society, Center for Theology and the Natural Science. He is an author or coauthor of almost five hundred publications.
First laureate of the Templeton Prize was Mother Theresa. In following years the Prize was given to Billy Graham, American Baptist preacher, to Aleksander Sołżenicyn or to prof. Charles Taylor. The Templeton Prize is being awarded by nine changing every year jurors.