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|NEXT STORY »

ET, Phone Rome: Vatican Holds Alien Conference

Astrobiology experts ponder big picture

By Rob Quinn| Posted Nov 11, 09 2:35 AM CST|

(Newser) – Does intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe and if so, is it Christian? Those and other weighty questions are up for discussion this week at a Vatican conference on astrobiology. Religious leaders and a range of scientists—including some non-Catholics—have been called in to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life and its implications, the Telegraph reports.

Some theologians argue that the discovery of extraterrestrial life would undermine Christian beliefs, but Catholic leaders say that the possible existence of alien life doesn't conflict with the Bible's teachings. "As a multiplicity of creatures exists on Earth, so there could be other beings, also intelligent, created by God," said the pope's chief astronomer, who organized the conference. "This does not conflict with our faith, because we cannot put limits on the creative freedom of God."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

A view of a portrait of Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, part of the "Galilei Divin Uomo" (Galilei Divine Man) exhibit, in the Santa Maria degli Angeli Basilica in Rome. (AP Photo/Sandro Pace)

Pope Benedict XVI looks at a piece of rock from Mars while visiting the new headquarters of the Vatican's astronomy observatory on the outskirts of Rome. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

Are aliens aren't made in God's image? The Vatican wants to know. (AP Photo/Jake Schoellkopf)

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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.
- Astronomy professor Chris Impey

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20 comments

VIEWING:

drlarrymitchell
Nov 11, 09 2:41 AM CST

Intelligence life may exist elsewhere in the universe, but it's definitely not to be found in the Vatican. Reply

| 0 minutes ago

Galileo
Nov 11, 09 2:45 AM CST

Aliens: "No we are not christians. Who is Jesus? You think a god created everything how long ago? Not true. You're calling us liars? What does 'go to hell' mean?" Reply

IN RESPONSE:

Reader83547464
Nov 17, 09 3:20 AM CST

lmao! Nice

| 0 minutes ago

riffran
Nov 11, 09 2:46 AM CST

ET phone Rome....lol Reply

IN RESPONSE:

drlarrymitchell
Nov 11, 09 2:56 AM CST

THAT was priceless!

IN RESPONSE:

riffran
Nov 11, 09 4:07 AM CST

IN RESPONSE:

bewilderbeast
Nov 11, 09 5:14 AM CST

Great headline! This is one thing religios ARE good for. The other is . . . um . . they keep little old ladies off the streets?

| 0 minutes ago

riffran
Nov 11, 09 3:01 AM CST

is there life out there???? Most likely...have WE been visited? Maybe. But doubtfull.... There is too many ancient artifacts that we cannot explain, and some that modern man cannot duplicate though. Is there or isn't there a "higher power"?..I hope so, but I don't hold it against those that do not feel the same way. But as for the "THE EXISTENCE OF ALIENS WOULD DENY GOD!" thingy....pure horse manure and fearfull arrogance on some of those preachers that preach that mess. I read a flyer one time that stated that carbon 14 dating, and any other dating that put the earth older than what they *ahem* calculated, was a tool of the devil and was meant to deceive us. But I made good use of the flyer...I crumpled it up and used in in my charcol starter, and grilled a brisket and some beef short ribs after the coals were good enough to start the oak and hickory going...lol Reply

| 0 minutes ago

bewilderbeast
Nov 11, 09 5:12 AM CST

God in Heaven! Are the bloody Catholics also going soft now? Where are the good old days when Father Jose Funes would simply have been put to death (or the even better days when he would have been publicly tortured THEN put to death)? What is the world coming to? Reply

| 0 minutes ago

bewilderbeast
Nov 11, 09 5:18 AM CST

"However, just as the Church eventually made accommodations after Copernicus and Galileo showed that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, Catholic leaders say that alien life can be aligned with the Bible’s teachings." When there is so much money at stake you can get quite flexible with your lying. From the church that gives you "Thou shalt not sin - but if you do, pay me a few bob and I'll fix it for you." Reply

IN RESPONSE:

SilenceDogood
Nov 11, 09 7:40 AM CST

Good point Wills, I think the simple truth is the Vatican is trying to reconcile their belief system to be inclusive of other concepts and possibilities. A move in the right direction, I meant that morally not politically.

| 0 minutes ago

SilenceDogood
Nov 11, 09 6:11 AM CST

At least the Vatican is trying to deal with the issues in a reasonable fashion. The Lord Thy God did not gift them with the insight into the universe he has blessed you with, so pity them for they are mere mortals and not Liberals. So what do Liberals hope to meet in the great expanses of the void, perchance more Liberals that do not believe in God? What if by some stroke of Devine Comedy we came upon a society of civilized folks known as Conservativites, a race of beings that respected all others; they prayed to One God; they held conservative beliefs; they would not murder their unborn children and they protected the old and frail. I can see the confrontation by the Liberal explorers from Earth, their denouncement of this horrible social order, My God the pandemonium would be great, and the Liberals would run in circles flailing their arms shouting horrible Liberal chants. The Liberals would then embark to change the way of life of the Conservativites to help them enjoy their life more, the Liberals would explain the need to murder their unborn children so that they could have more unborn children. The Liberal Earth explorers will try to convince them to steel all the money they can from all other Conservativites and give it to a new class of society that will not work, and will therefore will need to be supported, we shall call them the Wellfarites, life will be remade according to the Liberal Vision of the Universe. Mark Twain would have loved it. Reply

IN RESPONSE:

riffran
Nov 11, 09 6:16 AM CST

OK SDG.....That was AWSOME!...."wellfarites".....lmao.....niiiiice......or should I say in light of a recent story "precious"...rofl

IN RESPONSE:

bewilderbeast
Nov 11, 09 6:18 AM CST

@Silence: If by some stroke of Divine Comedy we came upon a society of civilized folks known as Conservativites, a race of beings that respected all others, WE WOULD KNOW WE WERE DREAMING, and we would wake up. If conservatives would stop fomenting war and actually "respect all others" there would be peace on earth, my good man.

IN RESPONSE:

Wills
Nov 11, 09 7:30 AM CST

Nice little bit of anthropocentricism here (although I like the biblical wording). Yes it is possible aliens would be conservative religious zealots, or that we'd manage to convert them (there's a good book that I haven't read called "the sparrow" about that). Possible in the sense that rolling 100 dice and having them all land on 6 is possible. It's more likely that their political affiliations, if we can even describe them as such, will be nothing like our conservativism or liberalism. Do we really think that we cover a significant part of the range of possible political/religious beliefs for all possible minds? What sort of arrogant fucks are the human race (answer: the kind that think aliens might be Christians already. I mean, expecting liberals or conservatives is one thing, but c'mon Ratsinger...)

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Nov 11, 09 11:07 AM CST

Should we come across that, we libs would know it was an extremely devolved colony to not include any loving, kind liberals. We would decide to leave it be until it destroyed itself or showed signs of evolving beyond its current stage of ignorance. However, our intention to leave it be would be short-lived because a conservative colony's natural, devolved instincts that cause it to fear anything different from it would lead it to attack us despite our leaving it alone. So, then we'd have to crush it, much to our dismay since we abhor taking lives unnecessarily, and hope that the next civilization we found was more evolved.

| 0 minutes ago

doingtherightthing
Nov 11, 09 9:00 AM CST

Catholicism has sunk this low by looking for aliens, that do not exist.... Jesus said:" Behold I have foretold you all things beforehand" (Mk13:23)...... There is no hint, there is no maybe's and there is no if's, or but's about extraterrestrials being made by God in the bible.....this Catholic leadership has big issues.... Reply

-1

IN RESPONSE:

Snarfeh
Nov 11, 09 2:01 PM CST

You don't a thing about Jesus. Jesus forgave all and everything. You don't. You are a hypocrite to use religion and you should be worried, if you are truly religious, that Jesus is watching you.

| 0 minutes ago

wiley14
Nov 11, 09 11:12 AM CST

They do the show "V" on ABC is fiction, right? Reply

| 0 minutes ago

djferrick
Nov 12, 09 3:28 AM CST

marklarr Reply

| 0 minutes ago

View all 20 comments »

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ET, Phone Rome: Vatican Holds Alien Conference