Vatican Gives Aliens a Thumbs Up

By Pamela Mortimer

On Tuesday, the Vatican newspaper made its own news when it published a controversial piece titled "The Extraterrestrial Is My Brother" by the Reverend Jose Gabriel Funes. In the article, Funes states that there is a possibility that the universe contains alien life forms and believing they exist "isn't contradictory to having faith in God".

"In my opinion this possibility exists," Funes, the director of the Vatican Observatory, told L'Osservatore Romano. "Astronomers believe the universe is made up of 100 billion galaxies, each of which consists of 100 billion stars. ... Life forms could exist in theory even without oxygen or hydrogen."

Although Funes indicates there might be intelligent life out there, believing in its existence doesn't pose a problem for those who practice the Catholic faith.

"It is possible. So far we have no proof. But certainly in a universe so big we can not exclude this hypothesis," he said.

"As there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth, so there may be other beings, intelligent, created by God. This does not conflict with our faith, because we cannot put limits on the creative freedom of God."

Funes also points out that human beings could consider another life form an "extraterrestrial brother" because it would also one of God's creatures.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

The subject of science versus religion is not new to anyone. Many people believe that one must choose between them, that they are mutually exclusive. Funes disagrees and claims that science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion. Funes’ opinions are supported by Pope Benedict XVI, who intends to make exploring the relationship between faith and science a key facet of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said. The astronomer added that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the formation of the universe.

However, Funes still believes that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

The ongoing feud between scientists and theologists became prominent during the persecution of Galileo almost 400 years ago. Galileo was tried as a heretic after he openly supported Copernicus’ theory that the Earth revolved around the sun, a theory that refuted the teachings of the church at the time. Funes has urged the church and the scientific community put aside their differences, saying the incident has "caused wounds".

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," Funes said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."