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The Vatican is planning a special conference in 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking theory of evolution.
First printed in November 1859, Darwin’s evolutionary theories rocked the faith of Victorian Christians and are stoutly contested today by Creationists. The Vatican has traditionally backed a more nuanced approach. Three years ago, Cardinal Paul Poupard, the then president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said Darwin’s theory of Evolution and the Old Testament book of Genesis were “perfectly compatible” if the Bible were correctly read, saying: "The fundamentalists want to give a scientific meaning to words that had no scientific aim," explaining that the real message in Genesis was that “the universe didn't make itself and had a creator."
Next year's conference will be held in Rome and organised by Poupard's former office, the Pontifical Council for Culture as well as by the University of Notre Dame and six pontifical universities. The event, claim its organisers, is a milestone in the rapprochement between science and the Church. They say it is time for the Church to look at Evolution again, “from a broader perspective”, explaining “appropriate consideration is needed more than ever before.”
Professor Gennaro Auletta, who is head of the Science and Philosophy faculty at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the main conference organiser told Edward Pentin of Newsweek (Newsweek Blog): “We hope this will really be an example of how to hold an open discussion without overtones. We simply wish to dialogue between people whose mission is to understand a little more.”
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John May, San Jose CA, - what an arrogant claim that man is "Evolution's Apex". Man is no more evolved than any other species, be it zoological or botanic. We have just evolved to fill a different niche. Untimately all extant species evolved over the same lenght of time from the first cell
Bob Finbow, Haverhill, England
And so soon after forgiving Galileo! The Catholic Church is only a few centuries behind now, and centuries ahead of our Evangelicals.
Aleks, Minneapolis, USA
Mr May, 'evolutionist' is a meaningless term and evolutionary biology makes none of these claims. American 'creotard' sites are full of such fatuous nonsense, though. Shame on Tony Blair for giving them a foothold in the English education system.
Geoffrey Lake, Carbost, Scotland
Evolution says that it all started from nothing, jumbled itself around until it came up with something, sprang to life, started reproducing itself, evolved and we are becoming more diverse and better as time goes along....
which of these do you see with your own eyes as you look around?
Wes, Ft Worth, USA
It never ceases to amaze me that with all the scientific explanations, the evidence, the logic and reason, there are some people that discard all of it for faith in one book that was written thousands of years ago by men who had no concept of science, astronomy, biology, botony, geography... CRAZY!
J Menday, South Molton, England
Evolutionists faith says the present is the key to the past, life arose ex nilo, the geologic column shows billions of years, the cosmos has no center or edge, and that Evolutions apex, man, is the outcome of eons of dumb luck. Why should Christians junk their beliefs for such fatuous faith?
John May, San Jose CA, United States
The Holy Church has got it right! God's creation of man was done using methods chosen by God -not by Rev. Hagee! It was quite generous of God to leave us behind lots of fossils and geological formations so we could see how he did it. The bible teaches us how to get to heaven - not how the heavens go
slavador, Sicamous, Canada
Seems to me as though the catholic church will keep bending their interpretations of the testaments to meet scientific advancements until their primitive religion has absolutely no credibility whatsoever to rational thinking (sane) people. . . .
Sebastian Melmoth, Edinburgh,
Take heed (and please do read) Romans 1:18-23
What fools we are...
What fools we shall be...
No, no...not God,
But yes, NOW you have it!!!
A chimpanzee!
--from a very embarrassed Catholic. Please know that there are still some Catholics who believe in a 7-day Creation.
S. Jones, Post Falls, USA
Two cheers for the apostate novus ordo church.
David, Indy, USA
Creation Science and Evolution are interesting novelties,
but it appears that neither addresses the ongoing process
of mankind -- being created in the image and likeness of
God. One purports the Book of Genesis and the other
wants to retreat into the past through archealogocial digs,
Nonsense!
Robert Beck, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Creation Science and Evolution are just novelties while
lacking " True Grit ". One wants the pre-figuring of the Old
Testament as an answer against a visible church and the
other wants to live in the past, as well, through digs. There
are no do-overs in theology, as Mediator Dei attests to!
Robert Beck, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
When Darwin was buried it was said that Westminster Abbey needed him more than he needed Westminster Abbey. Clearly Catholiscism needs evolutionary biology more than evolutionary biology needs Catholiscism.
Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales
Darwin's book was entitled "On The Origin of Species" NOT (Bess) "The Origin of The Species" nor (Nathan) "The Origins of Species". The content is misunderstood about as frequently as the title is mangled.
Charles, Charlottesville,
How amazing that rome discarded a science based upon evidence is now embracing a theory based upon atheism.
No biblical Christian was or will be 'rocked' by so called science.A bang is a childs concept for an explosian.But no adult would or could eccept the big explosion theory.
G Bleard, Lonodn, uk
From my understanding of the Victorians, the Origins of Species had little impact on their faith.
At the time there were larger theological issues at hand which evolution helped address n so was readily accepted into most people's systems of theology.
For most, there was no crisis of faith.
Nathan, Inverness, UK
I am surprised at this decisions. "Holding an open discussion without overtones". You must be joking. The world is waiting to attack. Acually the Catholic Bible takes the Protestant second commandment as part of the first in their bibles. Protestants seperated the two.
John Kearney, Basingstoke, England
The bible and evolution are compatible when corectly read??nonsense!The Catholic church bows to anything that pleases the masses.The church has lost it's ability to read the bible.It can't even follow the 2nd commandment to not make any idols or carved images.Exodus 20:4,5
Jonathan King, Co.Offaly, Eire
you cant say that the catholic church is not up to date in
matters of science. lately a number of interesting things
have been taking place. ie the et question, the enviroment
and social communications ie the internet and now this.
i think that we are having a benedictine revolution.
pauline, harrow,