At a conference on astrobiology the Vatican’s chief astronomer has said that human beings may not be alone in the universe

The Vatican's chief astronomer has said that the idea that "alien" life forms exist on other planets is "plausible".

Speaking at the end of a five-day conference on astrobiology held under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Father Jose Gabriel Funes, the head of the Vatican Observatory, said: “Although astrobiology is a new and developing field, questions on the origins of life and the presence of life in the universe outside Earth are legitimate issues and merit serious consideration.”

The conference, attended by astronomers, physicists, biologists and geologists from around the world concluded that there were millions of inhabitable planets in the solar system, which in turn was only one of billions of galaxies. Chris Impey, professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona in the US, said although the universe was “vast and mostly inhospitable” there was '”a palpable sensation” that it “hosts forms of life”. This aroused “a hope that the first discoveries will be made within a few years”.

Last year Father Funes, an Argentinian Jesuit, said: “Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on Earth there could be other beings, intelligent ones, created by God.” This did not clash with Christian faith “because we cannot set limits on God's creative freedom”, Father Funes said, adding “To quote St Francis, if we view earthly creatures as our brothers and sisters, why can't we speak of a brother from another planet?”

The Vatican conference was held to mark the United Nations International Year of Astronomy. Professor Impey, the author of The Living Cosmos, said finding extraterrestrial life was “like a detective chase, a crime to be solved, and we're getting very close to the answer”. He said, however, that if the answer turned out - against expectations - to be that we were alone in the universe after all, this would only “remind people that this planet is rather special, and with that will come an extra obligation, even if we didn't already feel it, to take care of this place and the special thing that happened here”.