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The new director of the Vatican Observatory says the retirement of his predecessor after 28 years is simply that, and has nothing to do with the outgoing executive's public statements in support of evolution.

The Rev. José G. Funes, 43, is the new director of the Roman Catholic Church's astronomical unit; the observatory operates the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope — the VATT — at the University of Arizona's Mount Graham International Observatory in the Pinaleno Mountains near Safford, as well its headquarters at Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

Funes replaces the Rev. George V. Coyne, 73, the director of the Vatican Observatory since 1978.

Both men are astronomers and Jesuit priests.

Work at the VATT has included research into dark matter, quasars, globular clusters and the acceleration of the universe. Two Arizona State University astronomers and a Johns Hopkins University scientist using images captured by the VATT last year discovered an apparent supernova in a spiral galaxy.

Coyne teaches astronomy as an adjunct professor at the UA and has, at various times, served as associate director, acting director and head of the UA Steward Observatory and Astronomy Department.

Coyne typically split his time between the Vatican Observatory's operations in Southern Arizona and Italy.

Coyne could not be reached for an interview; an observatory spokesperson said he is on vacation and is expected to return to Tucson in September as head of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

In a written statement, Funes insisted the change has nothing to do with Coyne's public opposition to Intelligent Design.

Coyne was quoted last year in an international Catholic newspaper as saying that God "lets the world be what it will be in its continuous evolution" and that people should not fear that God will be abandoned if they embrace the best of modern science.

The statement was in response to a New York Times op-ed piece written by an Austrian cardinal saying that Darwinian evolution is not compatible with the Catholic Church's teachings.

A recent story in an English tabloid proclaimed that Coyne had been fired for his public criticism of Intelligent Design.

In an e-mail statement sent to "friends" on an Internet mailing list, Funes said the rumors that Coyne was replaced because of his stance on Intelligent Design were "absolutely false." He said Coyne requested in May that church officials in Rome replace him.