Ok let's say that the extraterrestrials exist and if they do exist i am sure God created them, but saying that the E.T.'s made us or just "helped" God create humans, is just absurd!!!

Danny, Timisoara , Romania

Bless the Catholic Church ,they bend their rules to accomodate anything and everything to fit in to gods mysterious plans.No doubt the next proclamation will be to concede that it is more than likely that God does not exist.

Iain Rae, Tunbridge Wells, U.K.

Yes, 'god' created aliens too and if and when they arrive, theyre all going to join gods happy family.

Your religion is outdated and based on contradictions, wake up, forget christianity.

John, Huddersfield, England

Fr Funes did say, in his unabridged statement, that some of the angels and other beings from the sky or heaven, may have been really extraterrestrials.

Perhaps the Church, acting through Fr Funes, is intimating that they know about aliens and is beginning to prepare us for the inevitable contact.

Jon Maynard, Lansing MI, USA

What a great move by the Catholic's except I thought God created Man in his own image yadda yadda. Does that create any problems? I'd imagine the church would have to concide our superiority in this matter. Gotta love the religious chumps.

Mark, HH, England

Oh, now I understand. Man was made in God's image and so were aliens. Are there no limits to the contradictions of religion? And are there no limits to the lengths the priethoods will go to defend the indefensible, their jobs and their dominance over we, simple searchers for truths of existence?

Howard, Tavistock,

How can anybody read this article and still take religion seriously?!!!

Tim Smith, Spalding, UK

God made man in his "Image" Which merely means we are like him. Last time I checked, I could be everywhere at once, I can't change the weather at a whim, I can bring people back to life by saying "Come Forth." I don't think mankind is advanced as God. So Aliens is no big shock.

Matt, Piqua, OH, United States

This is exactly the subject matter of a book that Vatican tried to suppress; how they're being concilliatory. The book is called The Givenchy Code by ER Escober.

Ellen, San Francisco,

Same old story; one minute the church is destroying those who support a theory, next at the risk of looking stupid in front of irrefutable evidence they try to crow-bar it into their system as they desperately scramble for some credibility. Another nail in the coffin for mediaeval superstition.

Ryan, Wokingham, Berkshire

All religions are bogus superstitious dogmas. The invisible man in the sky doesn't exist. Think for yourself.

Jim D, Red Bank,

One wonders what the vatican's response will be when these little green men turn up on their doorstep with their own gods. Will they still be part of the Fr Funes' god's plan even before they've sent missionaries to convert them to the vatican's image or just heathens?

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

Why doesn't the Pope just ASK? With his communications, he could get an answer and save the US taxpayer gazillions of dollars.

(And of course, if you read Genesis carefully enough, you'll discover two slightly different Earths, but it doesn't say which one we live on!)

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

We may postulate the existence of aliens, we may also postulate that they use condoms to prevent the spread of disease, are pro abortion and do not subscribe to the doctrine of any organised religion.

Keith , Rayleigh, England

I agree with Rob from Singapore. God gave us his only Son to die for our sins and give us eternal life. Jesus was born, suffered and died here on earth for the salvation of man who God created in His image.

Does Father Funes believe that the alien's sins were also forgiven?

Leslie, Houston,

So where does this leave angels then? theyre certainly more evolved that humankind but are they more evoved than aliens? If not will there be another war in heaven? and what will happen when the aliens win? somebody help me, i dont know what to believe!

karl, oxford,

"...aliens, like humans, would be able to benefit from the redemption offered by Jesus Christ"

Now isn't that optimistic? The aliens arrive and the first thing they're going to do is to accept the authority of the Catholic church based upon two thousand year-old heresay. Somehow I doubt it.

Nik Whitehead, Akureyri, Iceland

Father Funes might care to read 'A Case of Conscience' by James Blish, published 50 years ago. It asks pertinent questions based upon the dogma of the Church, and comes to an interesting conclusion

Bill Q, Derby,

If aliens one day landed no doubt the first thing they'd say is: "What? You Still believe this religion stuff? We were only joking!"

Andrew_in_Cardiff, Cardiff, UK

religious belief is as vast and vacuous as space; the people above Rob of Singapore are serious, they actually believe their own drivel, right down to every contradiction and grand stupidity.How can aliens be more advanced than us when we have 'God's' likeness? Which god is this anyway? go figure..

Rodwell, Sydney, Australia

It is amazing how the catholic church tries to turn around through the ages. Calileo was persecuted because he state that the earth was spinning round. At the time the Vatican suppressed knowledge, science including astronomy. Now they have their own astronomy department.

Charlie, Barnsley, uk

If Jesus came down in the UFO I once saw - no wonder he was hailed as the son of God !!!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,

If every visible star (maybe 10% of the universe's mass?) was a grain of sand, that sand would cover the whole of Earth a metre deep.

It is inevitable that life exists elsewhere. Maybe everywhere! How can we limit God to one tiny planet, with one son, dead now for 2,000 years?

iain carstairs, bedford, uk

Well Jesus could have always gone to other worlds before or after He came to us. =) And just because Man is made in God's image doesn't mean Man is the most "advanced" (e.g. angels), nor that God couldn't have made other life forms in His image as well.

Jude, Singapore, Singapore

Firstly Jesus was on earth and so would have absolutely no relevance to aliens, and secondly, if God made man in his own image, then how can there be more advanced life forms. That would mean they are more advanced than God? Hmm.

Rob, Singapore,