Man
|
Man’s body evolved from a subhuman species created by God (the
evolution theory taught by Roman Catholics) |
|
Here
is what the late John Paul II said to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on |
|
‘WITH
GREAT PLEASURE I address cordial greeting to you, Mr. President, and to all
of you who constitute the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, on the occasion of
your plenary assembly. I offer my best wishes in particular to the new
academicians, who have come to take part in your work for the first time. I
would also like to remember the academicians who died during the past year,
whom I commend to the Lord of life. |
|
1.
In celebrating the 60th anniversary of the academy's refoundation, I would
like to recall the intentions of my predecessor Pius XI, who wished to
surround himself with a select group of scholars, relying on them to inform
the Holy See in complete freedom about developments in scientific research,
and thereby to assist him in his reflections. |
|
He
asked those whom he called the Church's "senatus scientificus" to
serve the truth. I again extend this same invitation to you today, certain
that we will be able to profit from the fruitfulness of a trustful dialogue
between the Church and science (cf. Address to the Academy of Sciences, No.
1, Oct. 28, 1986; L'Osservatore Romano, Eng. ed., Nov. 24, 1986, p. 22). |
|
2.
I am pleased with the first theme you have chosen, that of the origins of
life and evolution, an essential subject which deeply interests the Church,
since revelation, for its part, contains teaching concerning the nature and
origins of man. How do the conclusions reached by the various scientific
disciplines coincide with those contained in the message of revelation? And
if, at first sight, there are apparent contradictions, in what direction do
we look for their solution? We know, in fact, that truth cannot contradict
truth (cf. Leo XIII, encyclical Providentissimus Deus). Moreover, to shed
greater light on historical truth, your research on the Church's relations
with science between the 16th and 18th centuries is of great importance.
During this plenary session, you are undertaking a "reflection on
science at the dawn of the third millennium," starting with the
identification of the principal problems created by the sciences and which
affect humanity's future. With this step you point the way to solutions which
will be beneficial to the whole human community. In the domain of inanimate
and animate nature, the evolution of science and its applications give rise
to new questions. The better the Church's knowledge is of their essential
aspects, the more she will understand their impact. Consequently, in
accordance with her specific mission she will be able to offer criteria for
discerning the moral conduct required of all human beings in view of their
integral salvation. |
|
3.
Before offering you several reflections that more specifically concern the
subject of the origin of life and its evolution, I would like to remind you
that the magisterium of the Church has already made pronouncements on these
matters within the framework of her own competence. I will cite here two interventions.
|
|
In
his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII had already
stated that there was no opposition between evolution and the doctrine of the
faith about man and his vocation, on condition that one did not lose sight of
several indisputable points. |
|
For
my part, when I received those taking part in your academy's plenary assembly
on |
|
4.
Taking into account the state of scientific research at the time as well as
of the requirements of theology, the encyclical Humani Generis considered the
doctrine of "evolutionism" a serious hypothesis, worthy of investigation
and in-depth study equal to that of the opposing hypothesis. Pius XII added
two methodological conditions: that this opinion should not be adopted as
though it were a certain, proven doctrine and as though one could totally
prescind from revelation with regard to the questions it raises. He also
spelled out the condition on which this opinion would be compatible with the
Christian faith, a point to which I will return. Today, almost half a century
after the publication of the encyclical, new knowledge has led to the
recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis. [Aujourdhui,
près dun demi-siècle après la parution de l'encyclique, de nouvelles
connaissances conduisent à reconnaitre dans la théorie de l'évolution plus
qu'une hypothèse.] It is indeed remarkable that this
theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of
discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought
nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in
itself a significant argument in favor of this theory. |
|
What
is the significance of such a theory? To address this question is to enter
the field of epistemology. A theory is a metascientific elaboration, distinct
from the results of observation but consistent with them. By means of it a
series of independent data and facts can be related and interpreted in a
unified explanation. A theory's validity depends on whether or not it can be
verified; it is constantly tested against the facts; wherever it can no
longer explain the latter, it shows its limitations and unsuitability. It
must then be rethought. |
|
Furthermore,
while the formulation of a theory like that of evolution complies with the
need for consistency with the observed data, it borrows certain notions from
natural philosophy. |
|
And,
to tell the truth, rather than the theory of evolution, we should speak of
several theories of evolution. On the one hand, this plurality has to do with
the different explanations advanced for the mechanism of evolution, and on
the other, with the various philosophies on which it is based. Hence the
existence of materialist, reductionist and spiritualist interpretations. What
is to be decided here is the true role of philosophy and, beyond it, of
theology. |
|
5.
The Church's magisterium is directly concerned with the question of
evolution, for it involves the conception of man: Revelation teaches us that
he was created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn |
|
6.
With man, then, we find ourselves in the presence of an ontological
difference, an ontological leap, one could say. However, does not the posing
of such ontological discontinuity run counter to that physical continuity
which seems to be the main thread of research into evolution in the field of
physics and chemistry? Consideration of the method used in the various
branches of knowledge makes it possible to reconcile two points of view which
would seem irreconcilable. The sciences of observation describe and measure
the multiple manifestations of life with increasing precision and correlate
them with the time line. The moment of transition to the spiritual cannot be
the object of this kind of observation, which nevertheless can discover at
the experimental level a series of very valuable signs indicating what is
specific to the human being. But the experience of metaphysical knowledge, of
self-awareness and self-reflection, of moral conscience, freedom, or again of
aesthetic and religious experience, falls within the competence of
philosophical analysis and reflection, while theology brings out its ultimate
meaning according to the Creator's plans. |
|
7.
In conclusion, I would like to call to mind a Gospel truth which can shed a
higher light on the horizon of your research into the origins and unfolding
of living matter. The Bible in fact bears an extraordinary message of life.
It gives us a wise vision of life inasmuch as it describes the loftiest forms
of existence. This vision guided me in the encyclical which I dedicated to
respect for human life, and which I called precisely "Evangelium
Vitae." |
|
It
is significant that in |
|
I
cordially invoke an abundance of divine blessings upon you and upon all who
are close to you. |
|
(Excerpted
from the October 30 issue of the English edition of L'Osservatore Romano) |
|
As
you can see, the pope has endorsed the evolution theory. What the pope has
said about the theory of evolution, however, does not mean that the pope has
endorsed the evolution theory taught by Darwin, Lamarck, Haeckel and many
others. For he has endorsed an evolution theory which acknowledges that the
soul was created immediately by God from nothing, while as for man’s bodily
origins this evolution theory endorsed by the pope says that God used
intermediate living forms to produce the body of the first man, that is to
say, God did not take man’s body directly from the dust of the ground for He
created a subhuman species from which man’s body evolved. |
|
|
|
Confutation |
|
|
|
The
Holy Scripture says: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in |
|
The
evolution theory endorsed by Roman Catholics, therefore, is to be rejected
because it contradicts God’s Word, which is truth. |
|
Brethren,
know this, that it is impossible to reconcile the modern theories of
evolution with the Biblical account of creation, for you can’t reconcile lies
with the truth. |