In an article published in the official newspaper of the Vatican, support was expressed for the decision recently received by a judge in the USA according to which the theory of intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific alternative to the theory of evolution
The Vatican's official newspaper, "Osservatore Romano", published an article this week supporting the decision recently received by a judge in Pennsylvania, according to which the theory of intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific alternative to the theory of evolution. Prof. Fiorenzo Paccini, a lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna, wrote in this week's issue of the newspaper that the study of intelligent design is a pretense of engaging in science when in fact it is a "clear deviation from the subject".
Although the article was not presented as the official position of the Church, as far as the Vatican is concerned, these comments are noteworthy in light of their impact on this sensitive issue, which has been the focus of widespread disagreement since the beginning of Pope Benedict XVI's tenure.
Followers of the theory of evolution praised the article. "He emphasizes the fact that there is no contradiction between the Catholic view and the theory of evolution," said Dr. Francisco Ayala, a biology lecturer at the University of California, and a former Dominican priest.
However, quite a few came out against the publication. Robert Crowther, spokesman for the "Center for Science and Culture" at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, which supports intelligent design, dismissed the importance of the article and other recent statements made by Catholic leaders in favor of the theory of evolution.
On Crowther's side was Christoph Schönborn, an Austrian cardinal close to the Pope, who in July expressed doubts about the position that Catholicism and evolution are not necessarily at odds with each other - which has been considered the official position of the Church for years. In an editorial published in the "New York Times", Schanborn underestimated the importance of a letter written in 1996 by Pope John Paul II in which he called evolution "more than just a hypothesis".
Shanborn wrote: "It is possible that the theory of evolution in the sense of a common origin of human beings is true, but the theory of evolution in the neo-Darwinist sense, according to which evolution is a process lacking intention and planning, of variation and natural selection - this theory is wrong." In October, the cardinal sought to clarify that he did not intend to question the scientificity of the theory of evolution, but rather what he called "evolutionism" - the attempt to use the theory of evolution to disprove God's involvement in creation.
Shenburn also said, "I don't see any difficulty in combining belief in the Creator and the theory of evolution, but this is on the condition that the limits of the scientific theory are preserved. As long as science doesn't pretend to answer spiritual questions, it's fine."
So far, no scientific evidence has been presented that contradicts the explanation provided by evolution for the variety of life on earth, but followers of intelligent design claim that life is so complex that there is no doubt that it is the product of planning by an intelligent source, in other words - God. Since his election to the Holy See last April, Benedict seems to be closer to this theory, having spoken out on the subject at least twice.
At the beginning of his term, he said that humans "are not an accidental and meaningless product of evolution." In addition, last November he called the creation of the world an "intelligent project". The followers of intelligent planning welcomed these words.
However, many scientists affiliated with the Catholic Church criticize the theory of intelligent design. Among them is George Coyne, a Jesuit priest who runs the Vatican observatory. "Intelligent design is not a science, even though it claims to be," Coyne said in November. "It should be taught as part of religious studies or the history of culture, and not as a science."
In an article written by Paccini, he stated that in his opinion, scientists cannot eliminate the possibility that there is a divine "intelligent design" of creation and of human history. But, according to him, the Catholic understanding does not rule out the possibility of the existence of a design embodied in an evolutionary process. Lawrence Krauss, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Case Western Reserve University, said that Paccini's article is important because it clarifies that it is not necessary to give up religious belief in order to accept the theory of evolution. "Science does not make such a demand".
The two popes in relation to evolution
The previous Pope, John Paul II, created a widespread assumption that the Church's position is that the theory of evolution and the Catholic faith do not contradict each other after calling the theory "more than just a hypothesis".
From the statements of the current Pope Benedict XVI, it appears that in contrast to the scientists associated with the church, he actually comes closer to "intelligent design" which holds that an intelligent source (God) is behind life.
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