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Pope Benedict XVI vs. Darwin

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Scientist have written to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI asking him for clarification:

In 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed there was no opposition between evolution and Catholic doctrine. In 1996, Pope John Paul II endorsed Pius' statement.

The reason some scientists want Benedict, the current pope, to clarify the church's position is that they sensed a shift July 7 when The New York Times published an opinion column by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, archbishop of Vienna. In it, Schonborn wrote: "Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense -- an unguided, unplanned process ... is not."

Scientists Press Pope to Clarify Position on Evolution

Richard Evans Lee
August 28, 2005 •
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Pope Benedict XVI is kinda lame.

Posted by: Wannabeleader | August 28, 2005 10:16 AM

I've read much Catholic theology regarding evolution, and I'll have to admit that the Roman Church has done a real about face on science vs. religion. This is the same organization, after all, who placed Galileo under house arrest for saying the earth orbited the sun. The Catholic Church admits not having all the answers and generally refers to unproven truths as "mysteries." I am wary of any religions who have an answer for everything. In a nutshell, Catholic theologians agree that there was an unknown period of time, probably billions of years, between the creation of the universe and the appearance of man. They believe that God is responsible for the insertion of an eternal soul into human beings only (no animals). Precisely when the line of demarcation between a pre-human (i.e., souless) ancestor and the first human being with a spiritual aspect occured is unknown. I know of no Catholic writings, for instance, that say, "Well, Neandertals were not human, but Cro-magnons were." It is, elegantly said, a mystery. The deepest Catholic thinkers know the difference between the purpose of faith and the purpose of science. An old Irish priest I knew said, "What difference does it make? We are here now and our job is to treat each other with respect and love."

Posted by: Ron Scranton | September 22, 2005 2:47 PM

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My thanks,
Richard

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