%1

People

Bernard d’Espagnat, a French physicist and philosopher of science whose research has focused on “veiled reality,” has won the 2009 Templeton Prize, believed to be the largest yearly monetary award given to a single individual. Announcement of the prize March 16 was made in Paris instead of New York City because d’Espagnat, 87, professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Paris-Sud, said he did not want to leave his wife for an extended time. In prepared remarks, d’Espagnat spoke of what can and cannot be explained about the nature of being.

Briefly noted

President Obama’s scheduled May 17 commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame has sparked protests by some Catholics. The local Catholic bishop, John D’Arcy, said he will boycott the event because some Obama policies contradict church teaching. The Obama administration has upset Catholic leaders by opening federal funding to international family planning groups and embryonic stem cell research, among other actions.