BREAKING NEWS! Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

    

May 13 12:48 PM US/Eastern	2 Comments

		VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican's chief astronomer says that believing in aliens does not contradict faith in God. The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones. In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. The interview was headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.     Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90KSE100

 

 

  Vatican says aliens could exist

                                                                                                                           

By David Willey                                                                                   BBC News, Rome

                  

 

                                                  

                                     The Pope's chief astronomer says that life on Mars cannot be ruled out.                                      

Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.

Father Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory near Rome, is a respected scientist who collaborates with universities around the world.

                   The search for forms of extraterrestrial life, he says, does not contradict belief in God.                              

              

                   The official Vatican newspaper headlines his article 'Aliens Are My Brother'.                   

                                     'Free from sin'                                      

Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates.

Asked about the Catholic Church's condemnation four centuries ago of the Italian astronomer and physicist, Galileo, Father Funes diplomatically says mistakes were made, but it is time to turn the page and look towards the future.

                   Science and religion need each other, and many astronomers believe in God, he assures readers.                   

To strengthen its scientific credentials, the Vatican is organising a conference next year to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin.

 

 

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7399661.stm

Published: 2008/05/13 22:08:27 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

       

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-vatican-aliens,0,7578270.story

       

chicagotribune.com

               

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

                                         

By ARIEL DAVID

                            

Associated Press Writer

                          

7:12 AM CDT, May 14, 2008

                  

VATICAN CITY

           

       

       

       

Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

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On the Net:

Vatican Observatory: http://clavius.as.arizona.edu/vo

   

       

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

                    

Comments

[Ann]

The idea that Our lady of Fatima's visits in 1917 to the three children, and the miracle of the sun were UFO sightings is the most absurd theory I've ever heard. To denigrate the Catholic Church's position on this, one of the most profound appearances of Jesus' mother, is unbelievable. I was in college in the 1950's. At that time I knew that the Catholic church teaching was not against believing in life on other planets in the universe. This is nothing new. To link the above story with a cover-up is more stupid than the silly stories about Jesus and Mary Magdalene being married and having a child-the DaVinci codes. Reputable scholars and artists have debunked that repeatedly. I guess as long as the Catholic church perdures (until the end of time) there will be misguided, or perhaps evil-intended people intent upon damaging the Faith and Beauty of the Church