It is possible that intelligent life exists on other planets besides earth. Jesuit director of the Vatican observatory, Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, said this in an interview in the Vatican’s newspaper ‘Osservatore Romano‘.
Their existence would not contradict Catholic faith, according to Funes. After all, these aliens would still be part of God’s creation.
In the interview, Funes also talks about the theory of the Big Bang, and about creation and evolution.
Because most media only give us snippets of Fr. Funes’ answers, I have translated the parts of the interview about the Big Bang and about the possibility of extraterrestrial life:
Does the theory of the Big Bang reinforce or contradict the belief that is based on the Biblical account of creation?
As an astronomer, I continue to believe that God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance, but the children of a good father, who has a loving plan for us. The Bible is fundamentally not a science book. Dei Verbum stressed that it’s the book of God’s word addressed to us men. It’s a love letter that God wrote to his people, in a language that is two or three thousand years old. At that time a concept like that of the Big Bang was of course unknown. So we can’t ask the Bible for a scientific answer. At the same time, we don’t know whether in a near or distant future, the theory of the Big Bang will be replaced by a more exhaustive and complete explanation of the origin of the universe. Right now, it’s the best theory, and it’s not contradicting faith. It’s reasonable.
But the book of Genesis speaks of earth, of animals, of man and woman. Does this exclude the possibility of the existence of other worlds or living beings in the universe?
I think that that possibility exists. Astronomers believe that the universe consists of hundreds of billions of galaxies, and each of these consists of hundreds of billions of stars. Many of them, or almost all of them, could have planets. How could we rule out that life has also developed elsewhere? Astrobiology is a branch of astronomy that studies this very topic, and it has made a lot of progress over the last few years. When we examine the light-spectra of the stars and planets, we can quickly determine the elements of their atmospheres – the so-called ‘biomakers’ – and understand whether or not there are conditions for the birth and development of life. Furthermore, there could in theory be lifeforms even without oxygen or hydrogen.
Do you refer also to beings similar to us, or even more evolved?
It’s possible. However, so far we haven’t got any proof. But in such a big universe, this hypothesis can’t be excluded.
And that wouldn’t be a problem for our faith?
I don’t think so. Just like there is an abundance of creatures on earth, there could also be other beings, even intelligent ones, that were created by God. That doesn’t contradict our faith, because we cannot put boundaries to God’s creative freedom. As saint Francis would say, when we consider the earthly creatures to be our “brothers” and “sisters”, why couldn’t we also talk about a “extraterrestrial brother”? He would still be part of creation.
And what about redemption?
Let’s borrow the image from the gospel about the lost sheep. The shepherd leaves the 99 of the sheepfold to search for the one that got lost. Let’s imagine that in this universe there are 100 sheep, corresponding to the different forms of creatures. We who belong to the human race, could very well be the lost sheep, the sinners that need the shepherd. Got has become man in Jesus to save us. In that way, even when other intelligent beings exist, it’s not said that they would need redemption. They might have stayed in full friendship with their Creator.
I insist: when they would, on the contrary, be sinners, would redemption also be possible for them?
Jesus incarnated once and for all. The incarnation is a unique and non-repeatable event. However, I am certain that they too, in one way or another, would have the possibility to experience God’s mercy, just like we men have.
Link to the original article (in Italian) on the website of the Vatican.
More on this news in tomorrow’s episode of my podcast The Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick
Thanks for translating this,I believe in a world that works for everyone. Even Astronomers
Hope your DIGG experiment works.
I am a Catholic believer and I have always thought that, if we just belong to one of the galaxies of the universe, why shouldn’t there exist life in the rest of the universe? So, I am open to the possibility of this fact. How could faith understand this? Time will come when we are ready for it.
I always wondered as a kid about intelligent aliens who would be perhaps have a jain type religion or people who died aeons before jesus, not being exposed to the christion good message or not being baptized.. would there be any opportunity for them to take part in the glory of god?
My answer would be yes, as it doesn’t seem to be fair of God otherwise.
There is a sf book: the Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell (and sequel: children of god) exploring this theme of religion vs et’s:
“In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being “human.” When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong…”
http://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Mary-Doria-Russell/dp/0449912558/
Plans to be make it into a movie (around 2010) starring Brat Pitt.
This link is of interest as well:
“Intelligent Life in the Universe? Catholic Belief and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life” – U.S. Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0506301.htm
Cool! Thanks for posting this article Father!
Reminds me of the novel The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (http://www.marydoriarussell.info/) in which a group of Jesuits lead a mission to the intelligent life forms found on a distant planet. It’s a tragic but beautiful book.
I agree with Olga. I have always wondered why if we believe that God created the entire universe- we would think that only THIS planet would contain sentient life. Certainly the human life form as it is known on this earth would probably be different in different worlds due to the conditions – but they would still be a child of God. Thanks for the translation. I enjoyed the article.
I love a good “what if” and certainly it is possible that there will be other life, perhaps even other sentient life; but it is still also possible that we are the only sentient life forms.
I find it exciting to think about the someday when human beings will travel out there and find out!
I sure hope my descendants are among the explorers. I wish I could be with them!
Great article, about a topic that really is nice to fantasize about. I for sure am interested in this extraterrestrial life and like to fantasize about it. It must be an option, in such an unimaginable huge universe. So much space, so much planets and stars, so much possibilities for life… It just has to be! Great article!
I thought that when Adam fell, the whole universe
became fallen.
Today there was a “Stargate” marathon on TV, if you like aliens it’s a pretty good show, IMO
Thanks Father, my students got a kick out of this, and it opened their eyes to wonder (which is a lost art that needs rekindling!) + Peace, Bill
[...] in buitenaards leven! In een interview met een Vaticaanse krant, welke te lezen valt op de website FatherRoderick.com, denkt Funes dat intelligent leven op andere planeten mogelijk is. Ook zij zijn onderdeel van [...]
Greetings:
Mr. Cote’s comment “I thought that when Adam fell, the whole universe became fallen” made me stop and think. But then, I’m thinking “the Fall” applies only to his descendants (on Earth).
I followed it right up to “The incarnation is a unique and non-repeatable event.” How is it that God is limited in this way? Very strange. It might be that Christianity engages in wishful thinking that this is the only road to salvation. Roads to salvation are narrow, yes, but minds need to be wider.
“I thought that when Adam fell, the whole universe
became fallen.”
Indeed, this is my impression as well.
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:19-23 RSV).
It seems to me that St. Paul is teaching that the fall effected the entire cosmos, the whole of creation.
This, in my opinion, presents a serious difficulty for the astronomer in question. He needs to explain his ideas in light of these passages from Sacred Scripture.
“I followed it right up to “The incarnation is a unique and non-repeatable event.” How is it that God is limited in this way? Very strange. It might be that Christianity engages in wishful thinking that this is the only road to salvation. Roads to salvation are narrow, yes, but minds need to be wider.”
St. Thomas Acquinas treated the question of Christ’s unique Incarnation in his Summa Theologia. You can read his opinion here: http://www.newadvent.org/summa/4001.htm
He addresses the issue of God incarnating as a creature very extensively.
Will religious drivel never end?
Greetings:
Geoffrey’s comment “This, in my opinion, presents a serious difficulty for the astronomer in question. He needs to explain his ideas in light of these passages from Sacred Scripture”, is resolved for me because the scripture mentioned was according to the “creation” as known then by St. Paul.
“Geoffrey’s comment “This, in my opinion, presents a serious difficulty for the astronomer in question. He needs to explain his ideas in light of these passages from Sacred Scripture”, is resolved for me because the scripture mentioned was according to the “creation” as known then by St. Paul.”
I’m sure there’s a better way to resolve the issue. I mean, corruption and evil didn’t begin with Adam and Eve. True, it entered into the human experience then, but evil seems much older than us.
For instance, if evil and corruption began with Adam and Eve, why was there a deceiver in the garden? Apparently, the natural order wasn’t working properly, even back then. True, the serpent was Satan in disguise, but the way Genesis presents it, one gets the impression that portions of creation itself are tempting man to join their rebellion.
Thus, the solution is easily found. The cosmic fall, when Lucifer and his followers rebelled against God, is the real origin of decay in the universe.
Therefore, I’d expect aliens to be either in the process of redemption, or in the process of rebellion. I would not expect to find any untainted creatures, not with Satan having been active for so long.
“Will religious drivel never end?”
Probably not, Copson. We “religious drivel” people have been around practically sense time began, and I don’t think religion plans to leave any time soon, especially when many biologists think it’s hardwired into us.
[...] شد اما یک کشیش هلندی آنرا به انگلیسی ترجمه و در سایت FatherRoderick.com منتشر [...]
[...] An astronomer at the Vatican Observatory has said, in a very confused way so far as I can tell, that the question of extraterrestrial life is an empirical question. (See Could ET be Our Brother?). [...]
Thanks for providing this.
The Sparrow is quite a brilliant treatment of this fascinating theme, highly recommended.
The haunting thing about it is how the ETs implicitly know themselves to be superior in every way to the humans.
I wish the Osservatore Romano reporter would’ve asked Father Funes about the possibilty/probabiity that extraterrestrial civilizations will bear their own spiritual revelation—perhaps with the implicit sense that their cosmo-theology supercedes all human revelations. The Aztecs might have something counsel about that.
Or, perhaps divine incarnations have taken place in every corner of the universe where life has evolved…a process built into the cosmos itself.
Hmmmm.
Thank you for open a door,for comuniation ..
God created us in His image and likeness and, ever since,we have been busy recreating God in our image and likeness. How fascinating it is that we articulate so much ‘knowledge’ about the Unknowable! The more we think we know about God, the less we surely know about him.