Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life

[Vendog]

From Yahoo News.

VATICAN CITY – E.T. phone Rome. Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.

"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.

Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.

Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue.

Chris Impey, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said it was appropriate that the Vatican would host such a meeting.

"Both science and religion posit life as a special outcome of a vast and mostly inhospitable universe," he told a news conference Tuesday. "There is a rich middle ground for dialogue between the practitioners of astrobiology and those who seek to understand the meaning of our existence in a biological universe."

Thirty scientists, including non-Catholics, from the U.S., France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy and Chile attended the conference, called to explore among other issues "whether sentient life forms exist on other worlds."

Funes set the stage for the conference a year ago when he discussed the possibility of alien life in an interview given prominence in the Vatican's daily newspaper.

The Church of Rome's views have shifted radically through the centuries since Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1600 for speculating, among other ideas, that other worlds could be inhabited.

Scientists have discovered hundreds of planets outside our solar system — including 32 new ones announced recently by the European Space Agency. Impey said the discovery of alien life may be only a few years away.

"If biology is not unique to the Earth, or life elsewhere differs bio-chemically from our version, or we ever make contact with an intelligent species in the vastness of space, the implications for our self-image will be profound," he said.

This is not the first time the Vatican has explored the issue of extraterrestrials: In 2005, its observatory brought together top researchers in the field for similar discussions.

In the interview last year, Funes told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that believing the universe may host aliens, even intelligent ones, does not contradict a faith in God.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said in that interview.

"Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom."

Funes maintained that if intelligent beings were discovered, they would also be considered "part of creation."

The Roman Catholic Church's relationship with science has come a long way since Galileo was tried as a heretic in 1633 and forced to recant his finding that the Earth revolves around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

Today top clergy, including Funes, openly endorse scientific ideas like the Big Bang theory as a reasonable explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

Earlier this year, the Vatican also sponsored a conference on evolution to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species."

The event snubbed proponents of alternative theories, like creationism and intelligent design, which see a higher being rather than the undirected process of natural selection behind the evolution of species.

Still, there are divisions on the issues within the Catholic Church and within other religions, with some favoring creationism or intelligent design that could make it difficult to accept the concept of alien life.

Working with scientists to explore fundamental questions that are of interest to religion is in line with the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made strengthening the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

Recent popes have been working to overcome the accusation that the church was hostile to science — a reputation grounded in the Galileo affair.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II declared the ruling against the astronomer was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Museums opened an exhibit last month marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first celestial observations.

Tommaso Maccacaro, president of Italy's national institute of astrophysics, said at the exhibit's Oct. 13 opening that astronomy has had a major impact on the way we perceive ourselves.

"It was astronomical observations that let us understand that Earth (and man) don't have a privileged position or role in the universe," he said. "I ask myself what tools will we use in the next 400 years, and I ask what revolutions of understanding they'll bring about, like resolving the mystery of our apparent cosmic solitude."

The Vatican Observatory has also been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has his summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

[Ishido]

If we find aliens and they do not accept Christianity, space crusades are the only obvious choice.

[Kaylia]

People sure love their dead horse.

Althought, it's rare that an article give the current state of science vs religion debate, instead of talking about creationists from a backwater town.

Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

Are meteorite really useful in sciences? It seem to me that people are making a bigger deal out of them than they really are.

We were able to give an age to our to our solar systems using them, and their composition slightly help to understand planets creation...but their contribution to science is minor compared to the attention they get.

[Eliseos]

They sure are getting good at this back-pedaling game.

[Feedmenow]

Be honest, what would you do if the aliens in question were already observing something identical to Christianity?

[Pirian]

Be honest, what would you do if the aliens in question were already observing something identical to Christianity?

Be honest, what would you do if the aliens in question were worshiping a flying spaghetti monster?

[Zhais]

If the scientists running/studying this stuff at the vatican are anything like the ones featured in Maher's Religulous, this is cool stuff. The vatican officials that were interviewed in the show were really cool guys... down to earth and nothing like the stereotypical priests.

Sure, they're going to try to fit extra-terrestrial life into the interpretations of their religion. I actually think it would be a bad bad idea for any religion to just up and abandon their followers.

[Pikarya]

I stopped reading at "Vatican" and "experts" being used in the same sentence.

[Deftscythe]

If the scientists running/studying this stuff at the vatican are anything like the ones featured in Maher's Religulous, this is cool stuff. The vatican officials that were interviewed in the show were really cool guys... down to earth and nothing like the stereotypical priests.

What are stereotypical priests like?

[Khajit]

Evil people whom molest children and worship the spider queen.

[Guitarman]

I stopped reading at "Vatican" and "experts" being used in the same sentence.

Things like this quote are why religious fanatics and atheist fanatics are bad bad people. A differing view? /fingers in ears lalala cant hear you!

This isn't 'backpedaling' so much as correcting a mistake. You would rather them never change their views? C'mon. If the information gleamed from this is unbiased as it seems to be starting out, it can only be a good thing.

[Khajit]

If one couldnt blame religion or the devil for bad things they'd probably have a nervous breakdown at the concept of human beings responsible for thier own actions.

[Eliseos]

Things like this quote are why religious fanatics and atheist fanatics are bad bad people. A differing view? /fingers in ears lalala cant hear you!

This isn't 'backpedaling' so much as correcting a mistake. You would rather them never change their views? C'mon. If the information gleamed from this is unbiased as it seems to be starting out, it can only be a good thing.

This 'mistake' they believed in so vehemently that they burned people at the stake for even suggesting otherwise, much like the Earth being the center of the universe, evolution existing (only they couldn't burn people at the stake for this one, since there were laws in place against that). If and when we find life on a planet outside of our own, they will not be able to adequately explain it according to their religion without major reworkings of their religion and their holy book.

[Jaybar]

The chances of finding life before 2012 are probably zero anyway. Why bother arguing.

[Cadsuane]

Goes to show that as far as christians go, catholics are easily more tolerable than filthy north american puritans. Which might not be saying much I suppose.

[Ksandra]

Things like this quote are why religious fanatics and atheist fanatics are bad bad people. A differing view? /fingers in ears lalala cant hear you!

This isn't 'backpedaling' so much as correcting a mistake. You would rather them never change their views? C'mon. If the information gleamed from this is unbiased as it seems to be starting out, it can only be a good thing.

qft

I like some of the recent changes the Vatican has been making lately. A bad past doesn't mean you can't have a better future.

[Kaylia]

They sure are getting good at this back-pedaling game.

Read this quote, and tell me what's wrong with it (was written in 400AD by one of the most important figure in christianity.

It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation.

– De Genesi ad literam 1:19–20, Chapt. 19 [AD 408]

People constantly bring down religion using Gallileo exemple, but it's just one case where "politics" went sour. Not every christians in the history were dense, and the accepted stance havent changed that much over the years.

It's really important to make a distinction between the rampant hypocrisis of certain characters, and what religious scholar accept. Personally, I think bashing christianity for actions like this is like bashing democracy because there is corrupted politician.

qft

I like some of the recent changes the Vatican has been making lately. A bad past doesn't mean you can't have a better future.

I don't think they changed much. Scholar over the last 3500 years (including greek, arab and everyone else) have been doing a great job mostly. Rest is just a politics game with retarded people.

[Demosthenes11]

This 'mistake' they believed in so vehemently that they burned people at the stake for even suggesting otherwise, much like the Earth being the center of the universe, evolution existing (only they couldn't burn people at the stake for this one, since there were laws in place against that). If and when we find life on a planet outside of our own, they will not be able to adequately explain it according to their religion without major reworkings of their religion and their holy book.

and some police beat the fuck out of black people
what's your point

(inb4 religion debate, jesus worse than hitler, karl marx worse than jesus, etc etc)

[Obev]

If we find aliens and they do not accept Christianity, space crusades are the only obvious choice.

http://i36.tinypic.com/20jjqsm.jpg

My space-pope can beat up your space-pope.

[Plow]

Goes to show that as far as christians go, catholics are easily more tolerable than filthy north american puritans. Which might not be saying much I suppose.

your absurdly far beyond comprehension ignorance is showing