Pope's Astronomer: Intelligent Life Beyond Earth

[suchandra]

Since the vedic version of everywhere on all the planets are living entities is pretty out on a limb - at least the Church's astronomer says something similar, although they say that there is only one universe, "Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on Earth, so there could be other beings created by God [beyond it]."

 

Pope's astronomer insists alien life 'would be part of God's creation'

 

<author>By Peter Popham in Rome</author>

Thursday, 15 May 2008

<!-- Create a list of all articles, collections and links which are "from the archives" --> <!-- Create a list of all articles, collections and links which are "from the archives" -->

• <!--proximic_exclude_on-->

<form method="post" action="http://www.independent.co.uk/search/index.jsp"> <fieldset class="searchBox"> <legend>Search</legend> <label for="f_searchtool">Search</label> <input name="eceExpr" id="f_searchtool" value="" class="required" type="text"> <!-- <input type="text" id="zoek" name="eceExpr" value='' class="required"/> --> <input name="eceSort" value="relevance" type="hidden"> <input name="eceMode" value="search" type="hidden"> <input name="eceForm" value="simple" type="hidden"> <button type="submit">Go</button>

<input name="where" value="this" id="f_searchtarget-1" class="radio" type="radio"> <label for="f_searchtarget-1" class="static">Independent.co.uk</label> <input name="where" value="web" id="f_searchtarget-2" class="radio" type="radio"> <label for="f_searchtarget-2" class="static">Web</label>

</fieldset> </form>

 

Change font size: A | A | A

 

<!--proximic_content_on-->

The Vatican's official newspaper has endorsed the possibility that the universe could contain intelligent life beyond Earth, while insisting that aliens would be "our brothers" and "children of God" as much as human beings are.

<!--proximic_content_off--> <!--proximic_content_on--> The Pope's astronomer, José Gabriel Funes, a Jesuit priest, told L'Osservatore Romano that there would be nothing surprising about the existence of intelligent extra-terrestrials.

"Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on Earth, so there could be other beings created by God [beyond it]," he said. The interview suggests that the Church's hierarchy may be paving the way to showing that Pope Benedict XVI is more open to the ideas of modern science than he has previously seemed to be.

Pope Benedict has spoken in favour of "intelligent design" in the past and has damned evolutionary ideas that leave no room for God.

Fr Funes, in the interview, admits that, for him, evolution is a given. He also said that he believed in the Big Bang theory as the most likely explanation for the origin of the universe, and that the Bible should not be held to account for its lack of scientific accuracy. "Fundamentally," he said, "the Bible is not a book of science... It's a love letter written by God to his people in the language of two or three thousand years ago... So one cannot ask the Bible for scientific responses."

The existence of alien beings would not create a problem for believers, he insisted, "because one cannot put limits on the creative freedom of God... They would be part of creation."

Pope Benedict has reminded believers that "Revelation teaches us that [man] was created in the image and likeness of God", and that "man is the only creature on Earth that God has wanted for his own sake".

[theist]

 

The Vatican's official newspaper has endorsed the possibility that the universe could contain intelligent life beyond Earth, while insisting that aliens would be "our brothers" and "children of God" as much as human beings are.

 

That is the essence of it. The rest is just details. To accept alien species as being part of the brotherhood of God is a very good move for the catholic church. Now how about the other lifeforms here on earth?