Ten United States seminaries across several denominations will receive a combined US$1.5 million in grants to include science in their studies.
The grants were announced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Funding has come from the John Templeton Foundation, in an effort to bridge gaps between science and faith.
Catholic institutions to receive grants are the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara (Berkeley).
“Many (religious leaders) don’t get a lot of science in their training and yet they become the authority figures that many people in society look up to for advice for all kinds of things, including issues related to science and technology,” said Jennifer Wiseman, director of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion.
The grants will cover faculty, events, science resources, guest speakers and other related costs.