Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens | ![]() |
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May 13 12:48 PM US/Eastern |
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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.
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http://www.breitbart.com

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.
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
Posted by: Ann | 14 May 2008 at 05:10