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Life On Other Planets? Vatican Aide Ponders The Possibility.
EWTN ^ | 1/9/02

Posted on 01/09/2002 7:25:21 AM PST by marshmallow

ROME, (Zenit.org).- Scientific studies on the possibility of intelligent life on other planets is not against the Christian faith, says the director of the Vatican Astronomic Observatory.

Speaking in his own name, Father George Coyne told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that such an extraterrestrial possibility "is an exciting prospect, which must be treated with caution."

"For the time being, there is no scientific evidence of life," the priest added in the interview published Monday. "However, we are gathering observations that point to this possibility. The universe is so large that it would be folly to say that we are the exception. The debate is ongoing and complex."

Father Coyne´s suggested as a hypothesis that we imagine that there is life beyond the earth.

"If I were to meet an intelligent being from other worlds who revealed to me a spiritual life and told me that his people have also been saved by God through sending his only Son, he would ask me how it is possible that his only ´Son´ was present in different places. Thoughts of this kind are a great challenge," the priest said.

"Heresies, one after the other, have tried to deny the humanity of God over the centuries," Father Coyne added. "Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Can this true man also appear in another planet? I don´t know; I don´t know whether I should deny or affirm this."

"The possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent and spiritual life poses many questions," the priest said. "Anyway, science does not destroy the believer´s faith, but stimulates it."

Father Coyne also addressed the question of the big-bang theory and its implications for the faith.

In this area, the priest advises caution. "It is true that the cosmology of the big bang is certain today as a scientific model," he said. "But it tells us very little about creation, or rather nothing, because creation as understood in the Bible does not answer the question about the origin of the universe, but why there is something instead of nothing."

"´This is a theological response to a question of faith," Father Coyne said. "Science, however, is concerned with discovering the origin of the matter we know. In other words, sacred Scripture and theology do not refer to the way God created the universe. The two questions are not in conflict and, when this happens, very serious misunderstanding can arise."

The origins of the Vatican Astronomic Observatory go back to the time of Pope Gregory XII. He created a scientific commission responsible for studying the elements necessary for the reform of the liturgical calendar that took place in 1582.

The observatory now has two headquarters. One, in Castel Gandolfo, serves as an archive and library. It is located some 35 kilometers (21 miles) from Rome. The other, the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, Arizona, is located in one of the most important astronomic centers of the world.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: crevolist
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1 posted on 01/09/2002 7:25:21 AM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow;snopercod
I worry about it all the time.
2 posted on 01/09/2002 7:28:23 AM PST by First_Salute
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To: crevo_list
"Anyway, science does not destroy the believer´s faith, but stimulates it."
3 posted on 01/09/2002 7:37:16 AM PST by PatrickHenry
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If we are made in his image, does that mean other possible life in the universe has to look like us?

Ray Bradbury wrote a short story about Earth explorers who having reached another life-bearing planet at the end of The Galaxy-- found they had just missed the physical presence of Jesus Christ.

4 posted on 01/09/2002 7:47:38 AM PST by catonsville
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To: catonsville
That's a great story. (Like most Ray Bradbury)
5 posted on 01/09/2002 7:49:19 AM PST by Britton J Wingfield
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To: marshmallow

"For the time being, there is no scientific evidence of life," the priest added in the interview published Monday.

"For the time being", sound like he's expecting scientific evidence of life.

"However, we are gathering observations that point to this possibility. The universe is so large that it would be folly to say that we are the exception. The debate is ongoing and complex."

What's to debate. The first and second sentences are logical hypotheses/probabilities.

"If I were to meet an intelligent being from other worlds who revealed to me a spiritual life and told me that his people have also been saved by God through sending his only Son, he would ask me how it is possible that his only ´Son´ was present in different places. Thoughts of this kind are a great challenge," the priest said.

Yes, that would create a considerable challenge.

"Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Can this true man also appear in another planet? I don't know; I don't know whether I should deny or affirm this."

How about a thousand planets with intelligent life. I mean, the probability of intelligent live being on just two planets is astronomically high. Heck with a hundred million galaxies containing a hundred million stars each I'd say that there's probably millions of planets bearing intelligent life. We just haven't figured out how to get access to the UWW Universal Wide Web.

"Anyway, science does not destroy the believer's faith, but stimulates it."

Stimulates implications.

"It is true that the cosmology of the big bang is certain today as a scientific model," he said. "But it tells us very little about creation, or rather nothing, because creation as understood in the Bible does not answer the question about the origin of the universe, but why there is something instead of nothing."

Catching on that something cannot come from nothing.

"This is a theological response to a question of faith," Father Coyne said. "Science, however, is concerned with discovering the origin of the matter we know. In other words, sacred Scripture and theology do not refer to the way God created the universe. The two questions are not in conflict and, when this happens, very serious misunderstanding can arise."

In other words, when science proves intelligent alien life exists and we either ask them how and who created the Universe, or we ask the Universe Wide Web, and we learn that it was intelligent life that created the Universe and that creating Universes is not unusual for intelligent life to do it doesn't create a conflict between science and theology. It just means that theology hadn't considered those aspect. Nor did it consider the aspect that intelligent civilizations on many other planets have lived for tens-of-millions of years longer than intelligent man has lived on Earth. Those civilizations would be so much more technologically advanced than Earth's civilization that it's logical to conclude that they out-competed war and those who start wars. Why? Because we look at our own civilization and witness that the people that create wars have more than enough weapons of mass killing, nuclear/chemical/biological weapons to annihilate man ten times over. Of course, the intelligent aliens would also have developed definitive biologic immortality. And that creates for Father Coyne, yet another great challenge.

I short, they are us and we are they but our civilization is still in its infancy -- they're our cousins.

He created a scientific commission responsible for studying the elements necessary for the reform of the liturgical calendar that took place in 1582.

That was forty years after Nicolaus Copernicus released his geocentric (Earth centered) busting paper, "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium)" that gave mankind the heliocentric (Sun centered) model of our solar system.

A Cosmology of Infinite Riches

6 posted on 01/09/2002 9:04:41 AM PST by Zon
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To: marshmallow
his people have also been saved by God through sending his only Son, he would ask me how it is possible that his only ´Son´ was present in different places

If there is another civilization, it is entirely possible they didn't need saving, unlike our sinful selves. It is possible we have no contact with other civilizations because we alone out of all the teeming universe are considered "bad seed" and exist only by the Grace of God. Those other people are still living in their Gardens.

7 posted on 01/09/2002 9:12:34 AM PST by RightWhale
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To: RightWhale
If there is another civilization, it is entirely possible they didn't need saving, unlike our sinful selves.

What if its not just one other civilizations, but thousand or millions and we are the only "bad seed". Talk about feeling left out!

8 posted on 01/09/2002 9:29:17 AM PST by Zon
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To: marshmallow
I can just see the Fatwa right now...

Aliens: "Greetings Humans, we come in peace"

Taliban: BAM

9 posted on 01/09/2002 9:40:19 AM PST by DeckTheHallsHolly
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To: DeckTheHallsHolly
Bump
10 posted on 01/09/2002 1:56:58 PM PST by Zon
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To: RightWhale
Has Father George Coyne director of the Vatican Astronomic Observatory gone mad?
11 posted on 01/09/2002 2:42:30 PM PST by Zon
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To: Zon
Heresies, one after the other, have tried to deny the humanity of God over the centuries," Father Coyne added . . .
Jesus Christ is true God and true man.

Father Coyne has a good grasp of Christian theology. And of science. He has apparently studied these matters extensively without becoming pedantic and doesn't seem to be mad.

12 posted on 01/09/2002 2:57:46 PM PST by RightWhale
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To: RightWhale
I agree. He doesn't seem to have gone mad. I'd be interested in what other high officials at the Vatican think or have to say about Coyne's "theory". This seems that it would be a "hot" topic of discussion inside and outside the Vatican. I would think many in the clergy would be curious to learn more. Do you think that if the Vatican doesn't further the discussion the clergy will turn to science to glean more information or discussion?
13 posted on 01/09/2002 3:48:33 PM PST by Zon
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To: Zon
many in the clergy would be curious to learn more

It's only going to get more interesting. Once the NASA Kepler telescope begins sending images of earth-size planets revolving around other stars the theologians will have to be ready. Church attendance may even pick up a little. NASA is already preparing a comparison earth spectrum so it will be able to match an earthlike planet if one shows up in the viewer.

14 posted on 01/09/2002 3:55:29 PM PST by RightWhale
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To: marshmallow
Don't you get it? There is NO intelligent life out there in the universe. The SETI project has been going on for decades and there is not the slightest sign of life out there. If there were intelligent life in the universe we would already have picked up some radio signals from them.

Face the fact, folks. Earth is the ONLY place in the universe where intelligent life exists.

15 posted on 01/09/2002 3:56:19 PM PST by PJ-Comix
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To: RightWhale
Once the NASA Kepler telescope begins sending images of earth-size planets revolving around other stars the theologians will have to be ready.

No they won't for the simple reason is that no intelligent life exists out there.

16 posted on 01/09/2002 3:58:04 PM PST by PJ-Comix
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To: PJ-Comix
no intelligent life exists out there

Absence of signal means they are smarter than we are, and waiting in ambush.

17 posted on 01/09/2002 4:11:48 PM PST by RightWhale
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To: PJ-Comix
The SETI project has been going on for decades and there is not the slightest sign of life out there. If there were intelligent life in the universe we would already have picked up some radio signals from them.

So you chose to proclaim from on high that earth has the only intelligent live. That alone should refute your argument but you gave reason to support your claim. You base that on the "reasoning" that since SETI has not located intelligent life it doesn't exist. Think about why that is an invalid argument and then come back and tell us why it is invalid.

18 posted on 01/09/2002 4:13:38 PM PST by Zon
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To: RightWhale
BTW, in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, what happened to the first black monolith on earth that made the monkeys smarter?
19 posted on 01/09/2002 4:13:43 PM PST by PJ-Comix
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To: Zon
Um....even if intelligent life were rare out there in the universe, the very size of the universe would mean there would be HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of radio signals beaming out from intelligent civilizations. The fact that NOT ONE such radio signal has been discovered tells me there just aren't any ETs out there. Fact the fact. Earth has the only intelligent life in the universe.
20 posted on 01/09/2002 4:16:45 PM PST by PJ-Comix
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