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Michael Hesemann interviewed
Msgr. Corrado Balducci in Rome and received an amazing answer to this
question: Msgr. Balducci is one of the best-known and most respected
Italian theologians. He is a regular guest on Italian State TV, where he
has made several statements about the UFO phenomenon since 1995. He has
spoken at UFO conferences in Acapulco and San Marino. This is the very
first detailed statement of a senior Roman Catholic theologian and Curia
(Vatican) member on the UFO phenomenon, and demonstrates the openness of
the Roman Catholic church on this question. Since Balducci first started
speaking out about UFOs, the Dalai Lama, several rabbis in Israel and, in
2001, the Muslim authorities of Turkey have also made positive statements
on this subject. UFOs are not only “no problem" for the world’s largest
Christian church, but for other world religions too. Msgr. Balducci says:
“UFOs—There must be something real about them.
Everybody must come to this conclusion
who approaches the question of extraterrestrial life with similar
individual, social and religious structures, and with reason and common
sense. There is a great and constantly growing number of eyewitness
testimony about the so-called "flying saucers," spacecraft and
extraterrestrials. Many of these eyewitnesses are highly qualified
observers with a profound education, who did not believe in them before
they had their personal encounter… “Of course, some eyewitness reports are
based on imagination, hallucination or external influence. In other
instances they were caused by atmospheric phenomena, lenticular clouds or
ball lightning. Others turned out to be state-of-the-art aircraft types of
the Americans and Russians, tested during the Cold War. Already during
World War II, UFOs were thought to be the secret weapon of the enemy.
But all this is not enough to explain a
great part of the eyewitness testimony and the UFO phenomenon itself. Even
the most careful investigation can only reduce the number of real cases
and sift the chaff from the wheat, but can never explain them all
satisfactorily, as the past has taught us. In many countries professional
or semi-professional organizations investigate UFO sightings in
cooperation with scientists and experts to separate explainable from
unidentifiable cases. In France there is the governmental SEPRA, in Italy
the "National Ufological Center" CUN, which has existed for nearly 40
years… “Let me add one more important point: The general skepticism, the
systematic, total denial, damages, even destroys the basic value of the
human testimony with grave and incalculable consequences…Of course
there…are errors and lies, but generally all our life is based on what we
learned from others. It is unthinkable to live without this basic
confidence, unimaginable are the consequences of a general negation of the
human experience on the individual, social and religious life. It would
destroy the very basis of any human society! This applies to the religious
life, too. Indeed the Christian religion is based on the testimony of
humans who became witnesses of God’s revelation in historical events… “…We
can exclude that angels use spaceships. As purely spiritual beings, angels
can project themselves at any place they want to reach and, in rare
instances, when they want to reveal themselves, take a visible form
without any difficulty… When the Holy Virgin wants to reveal Herself to
Mankind (as has happened in rare, well-documented cases) she chose forms
in which She can express Her love and care as a mother and Her motherly
compassion with us. We don’t even have to waste a thought on the devil and
his demons, who still kept their angelic nature, being fallen angels and
therefore also purely spiritual beings, since they are limited in their
activity by God and therefore not able to bring all their hatred to us.
‘If the devil would take the initiative, not a single living being would
remain on Earth,’ St. Augustine wrote…When we talk about
extraterrestrials, we refer to humanoid beings which are, like us, of
both, a spiritual and a material nature, a physical body (for which they
indeed need spacecraft), although in their case the relationship between
mind and matter might be a different one than in our case…
“It is very well possible that other
inhabited planets exist. We do not find any direct reference to
extraterrestrial life in the Bible, but it neither excludes their
existence. Since God's wisdom and omnipotence has no limits and is
infinite indeed, this possibility doubtlessly exists. The existence of
other inhabited planets is highly probable. The distance between the
angels, purely spiritual beings, and us, beings of spirit and matter, body
and soul is too large. Our soul cannot act without the body, its
unalterable means, which through its passions and sinfulness influences
the soul so deeply that man becomes unstable and rather tends toward the
bad than towards the good. “Therefore it is highly probable that in
between, between us and the angels, another life form exists, namely
beings which still have a physical body but one which is more perfect than
ours and influences the soul less in its intelligent acts and
intentions…Only man can consciously worship God, because of his free will
and intelligence. Therefore several theologians consider it not only
possible but very probable that out there in Space, unreachable for our
scientific instruments, other beings exist who recognize and venerate God
since they realized this as the reason and meaning of their world and the
creation itself… “The inhabitability of other planets is not only possible
and probable, but also desirable. In the future, even in a far-
distant-one, their possible inhabitants, if they are indeed superior to
us, can help and support us in our spiritual development. In this way,
which we cannot prove, they might have helped and protected us already in
the past… Pope John Paul II, when asked by a child, ‘Holy Father, are
there any aliens?’ replied, ‘Always remember: They are children of God
just as we are.’
Source:
http://www.michaelheseman.com
Pope John Paul II
Declares Evolution to be Fact!
Pope John Paul II, on the 23rd of
October, 1996, while speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
plenary session at the Vatican, declared the evolutionary theories of
Charles Darwin to be fact, tacitly acknowledging that man evolved from
the apes, and reducing the biblical account of Genesis to that of mere
fable!
TO ACADEMICIANS:
TRUTH CANNOT CONTRADICT TRUTH
VATICAN CITY,
OCT 23, 1996 (VIS) - In a Message made public today to the
members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, meeting this week
in the Vatican in plenary session, the Holy Father recalled that
Pope Pius XI, who restored this academy in 1936, called this
group of scholars "the Church's 'scientific senate'" and asked
them "to serve the truth."
The Pope
expressed delight on the plenary's theme on the origin of life
and evolution, "a basic theme which greatly interests the
Church, as Revelation contains, for its part, teachings
concerning the nature and origins of man." If the
scientifically-reached conclusions and those contained in
Revelation on the origin of life seem to counter each other, he
said, "in what direction should we seek their solution? We know
in effect that truth cannot contradict truth."
John Paul II,
noting the academy's "reflection on science at the dawn of the
third millennium," observed that "in the domain of inanimate and
animate nature, the evolution of science and its applications
make new questions arise. The Church can grasp their scope all
the better as she knows their basic aspects."
He pointed to
the Church's magisterium on the question of the origin of life
and evolution, citing in particular Pius XII's 1950 Encyclical "Humani
Generis" and the conciliar Constitution "Gaudium et Spes."
The Pope drew
the academicians' attention to "the need for a correct
interpretation of the inspired word, of a rigorous hermeneutics.
It is fitting to set forth well the limits of the meaning proper
to Scripture, rejecting undue interpretations which make it say
what it does not have the intention of saying."
"'Humani
Generis'," he stated, "considered the doctrine of 'evolutionism'
as a serious hypothesis, worthy of a more deeply studied
investigation and reflection on a par with the opposite
hypothesis. ... Today, more than a half century after this
encyclical, new knowledge leads us to recognize in the theory of
evolution more than a hypothesis. ... The convergence, neither
sought nor induced, of results of work done independently one
from the other, constitutes in itself a significant argument in
favor of this theory."
He continued:
"The elaboration of a theory such as that of evolution, while
obeying the exigency of homogeneity with the data of
observation, borrows certain ideas from the philosophy of
nature. To tell the truth, more than the theory of evolution,
one must speak of the theories of evolution. ... There are thus
materialistic and reductionist readings and spiritual readings."
"The
magisterium of the Church is directly interested in the question
of evolution because this touches upon the concept of man, ...
created in the image and likeness of God. ... Pius XII
underlined this essential point: 'if the origin of the human
body is sought in living matter which existed before it, the
spiritual soul is directly created by God.' Consequently, the
theories of evolution which, as a result of the philosophies
which inspire them, consider the spirit as emerging from forces
of living matter or as a simple epiphenomenon of this matter,
are incompatible with the truth about man. They are moreover
incapable of laying the foundation for the dignity of the
person."
"Consideration of the method used in diverse orders of knowledge
allows for the concordance of two points of view which seem
irreconcilable. The sciences of observation describe and measure
with ever greater precision the multiple manifestations of life
and place them on a timeline. The moment of passing over to the
spiritual is not the object of an observation of this type,
which can nevertheless reveal, on an experimental level, a
series of very useful signs about the specificity of the human
being. But the experience of metaphysical knowledge, of the
awareness of self and of its reflexive nature, that of the moral
conscience, that of liberty, or still yet the aesthetic and
religious experience, are within the competence of philosophical
analysis and reflection, while theology extracts from it the
final meaning according to the Creator's designs."
MESS/ORIGIN LIFE:EVOLUTION/ACAD
VIS 961023 (660)
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The
Full Text of John
Paul II's comments on evolution online at New Advent, a Roman
Catholic web page. (Note that my comments below are keyed to the
original official Vatican press release shown above, not this
apparently complete translation of the Pope's remarks, which were
delivered in French.)
I will address just a few key quotes of
John Paul II that were mentioned in the above October 23rd, 1996 Vatican
Information Service press release, (article N.182).
To begin with, in the second paragraph,
two sources of "truth" are mentioned, one being the conclusions of
modern science, and the other being Revelation of truth from scripture
or the church. The Pope stated that
"We know in effect that
the truth cannot contradict the truth."
(This is a quote from
PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS, Paragraph 23).
What the Pope has done, as you will
see, is elevate Darwinian evolutionary theory to that of undeniable
scientific fact, or truth. He then draws the conclusion that since
evolution is indeed the truth, the Catholic Church's interpretation of
the biblical account of Genesis cannot contradict this now proven and
accepted fact of evolution, and so church teachings must consequently be
re-evaluated and amended. The Catholic church has faced this sort of
predicament before.
The Pope probably sees parallels
between Darwin's theory and the astronomical discoveries of Galileo. In
1632, as a result of his scientific observations, Galileo published a
book in which he defended the Copernican theory of a sun-centered solar
system. Galileo's "Dialogue on the Great World Systems" was swiftly
condemned by Pope Urban VIII, because the church believed and taught
that the earth was the center of the universe. Galileo was made to
recant his heretical opinions and his book was banned by the church for
two-hundred years. It is a classic example of church dogma suppressing
scientific truth.
Here is a Catholic view of
The Galileo
Affair online at EWTN.
Recently (1979) the Pontifical Academy
of Sciences reconsidered the Galileo matter, with Pope John Paul II then
acknowledging that the church erred in it's condemning the factual
astronomical discoveries of Galileo. So the Pope probably saw a similar
fiasco brewing between biblical creationism and evolutionary science.
While the astronomical sciences have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt
that the earth does indeed revolve around the Sun, the case for
evolutionary science has never been proven to be anything but
hypothesis, which is to say it is nothing more than speculation. The
cases are really quite different, but apparently that is not the opinion
of John Paul II.
In the 5th paragraph of the Vatican
press release, the Pope points out-
"the need for a correct
interpretation of the inspired word, of a rigorous hermeneutics. It is
fitting to set forth well the limits of the meaning proper to
scripture, rejecting undue interpretations which make it say what it
does not have the intention of saying."
The Pope is saying that he is
abandoning what he feels is an untenable and "undue" interpretation of
the Bible, namely that God created the entire universe, to include man,
in a mere 6 days, and he is adopting instead the process of Darwinian
evolution which proposes man evolved over millions of years from the
apes.
Note with care what is stated in the
6th paragraph of the Vatican press release. Pope John Paul II says-
" new knowledge leads us to recognize
in the theory of evolution more than a hypothesis."
Either evolution is theory
(hypothesis) or it is fact, there is no middle ground with respect to
the origin of man. Either God created man directly from the dust of the
earth or He didn't. It is just that simple.
The Pope in the above sentence has
just declared evolution to be a fact, and in the process he dismissed
the biblical account of Genesis as fable.
In the 6th paragraph of the above
Vatican press release, an encyclical from Pope Pius XII, HUMANI GENERIS,
is summarized and appealed to for support by John Paul II -
"Humani Generis'," he stated,
"considered the doctrine of 'evolutionism' as a serious hypothesis,
worthy of a more deeply studied investigation and reflection on a par
with the opposite hypothesis." (He is commenting on paragraph 36 of
the encyclical)
In this summary of Humani Generis, John
Paul II has just reduced the biblical six day creation (the opposite
hypothesis) to mere theory, and elevated evolutionary science to be on a
par with it as an equal possibility to be considered! And that is indeed
a correct assessment of what Pius XII said in his encyclical.
Continuing, in the 8th paragraph of the
Vatican press release, John Paul II now quotes the encyclical
HUMANI GENERIS
(see paragraph 36) -
"if the origin of the human body is
sought in living matter which existed before it, the spiritual soul is
directly created by God."
So, as Pius XII explains it, if man did
evolve, the same is not true of the soul. That, he claims, God created
directly and put into man. Man himself though, is presumed to have
evolved from "pre-existing living matter", rather than being created by
God in one day from the dust of the earth. What Pius XII meant by that
is that man evolved from the apes in accord with Darwinian theory!
What a predicament!! What an
embarrassment for Christianity! At a time when the Protestant church in
America is fighting to re-introduce the teaching of creationism into the
public schools, Pope John Paul II stuns the world and declares Darwin
was right after all, and man has descended from the apes! He is
dismissing Genesis as fable and actually accepting Darwin's Origin of
the Species as fact! Absolutely amazing!
1 Tim 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which
is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and
oppositions of science falsely so called:
1 Tim 6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.
Should you wish to do some further
investigating, here are the documents that are referred to by the Pope
in his remarks. They are available online at -
HUMANI GENERIS
- The Encyclical of Pope Pius XII
Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations
of Catholic Doctrine, August 12, 1950.
GAUDIUM ET
SPES - The Pastoral Constitution On the
Church in the Modern World, Promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on
December 7, 1965.
PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS - Encyclical of Pope
Leo XIII on the Study of Holy Scripture, November 18, 1893. (See
paragraph #23 in particular)
In addition, here is a tract called
Adam,
Eve and Evolution online at Catholic Answers, that further
explains the Catholic acceptance of Darwinian evolution. Take special
note of the 11th paragraph:
Concerning human evolution, the
Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility
that man's body developed from previous biological forms (under God's
guidance), but it insists on the special creation of his soul.
The complete article is available from Time Magazine.
The Great
Translation Debate
Something of a debate is swirling
around what the Pope actually said, or meant to say.
The contested passage is quoted here-
Today, almost half a century after
the publication of the encyclical, new knowledge has led to the
recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis. It
is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted
by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of
knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the
results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a
significant argument in favor of this theory.
The debate is whether or not the Pope
said "the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis" or "the
theory of evolution as more than one hypothesis". The original
French text of the crucial sentence is presented at the New Advent site
listed near the top for those who understand it. Some Catholics are
scrambling to interpret the Pope's remarks to say that he was merely
acknowledging multiple theories of evolution, hence the "more than
one hypothesis". However, in context, the Pope is quite clear in
his endorsement of evolution as fact. Let me repeat his statement with
my notations-
Today, almost half a century after
the publication of the encyclical, new knowledge has led to the
recognition of the theory of evolution [singular theory] as more than
a hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory [of evolution,
singular theory] has been progressively accepted by researchers,
following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The
convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work
that was conducted independently is in itself a significant
argument in favor of this theory [of evolution, singular
theory].
The context of the paragraph clearly
proposes that various fields of scientific knowledge are converging in
support of Darwinian evolution as the mechanism of creation, and the
Pope recognizes this convergence of scientific evidence to significantly
favor evolution, such that he at least, no longer considers evolution to
be just a hypothesis, but rather he accepts it to be fact.
See also-
Evolution: What the Pope Said by James Aiken, at Nazareth
Resource Library.
EVOLUTION AND THE POPE by Mark Brumley, from the Jan/Feb 97
issue of Catholic Dossier.
It would seem that Catholics would
rather debate this among themselves, leaving the issue unresolved,
rather than ask the Pope for clarification on the issue. Perhaps they
feel it is better if he simply remains silent rather than explain and
potentially exacerbate the problem by removing all doubt about what he
really meant to say.
Apparently most Roman Catholic schools
have taught evolution pretty much as fact since Pope Pius XII's
encyclical HUMANI GENERIS in 1950. I even have a Catholic acquaintance
who confirms that he was taught evolution as fact by Jesuits while in a
Catholic school, so to most Catholics the Pope's remarks probably come
as no great surprise.
So can the Catholic accept
evolution? Is it compatible with the Bible? Could the Pope be right
about evolution? Please continue on to my article
Did God create the world through Evolution?
Source:
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/
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