Cape Musings

Vatican: It's Okay to Believe In Aliens

I'm not the  voice of the aliens, but...

While I'm not sure I want to become the voice of the aliens, I couldn't help but add this to your daily news lineup. I've professed a belief here before that we couldn't possibly be the only living beings in a universe that doesn't end, and I have to say, this headline does nothing to dispel those beliefs. Neither does the fact more than 100 high ranking military personnel recently came forward (again) to admit they've either seen UFO's or have helped cover up their existence. It may be convenient for you to ignore such things  (lest you be forced to rearrange your world view), but the facts are the facts, ladies and gents.

Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer saidI don't think an institution that has, in the past, believed in purgatory and a little man with red horns should be the deciding factor on whether or not you believe in UFO's. Religion itself has some rather other-worldly ideas in the first place, but one has to question their motives here. What's the reason for this revelation now? If the US government won't get on the UFO bandwagon, then why would the Vatican? And of all the things the Vatican could have said it's "okay" to believe in, why this particular issue? This article shows some pretty forward thinking on the part of the Vatican, integrating faith and reason.

Keep in mind that nothing comes out of Vatican City without Vatican City knowing.

Here's the article:
Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens
By ARIEL DAVID
Associated Press Writer
3:07 PM CDT, May 13, 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.