{"id":169,"date":"2009-09-17T21:24:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-17T21:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/09\/et-phone-rome.html"},"modified":"2009-09-17T21:24:00","modified_gmt":"2009-09-17T21:24:00","slug":"et-phone-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/09\/et-phone-rome.html","title":{"rendered":"E.T., phone Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Vatican official has some interesting thoughts<\/a> on aliens — not the undocumented kind, but the outer space kind: <\/p>\n

<\/a>Father Jose Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said this week there is no opposition between belief in the existence of aliens and at the same time belief in God. This position, he reminded, was held by Father Angelo Secchi, the 18th century Jesuit astronomer and director of the Observatory of the Roman College\u2014today the Pontifical Gregorian University.<\/p>\n

In an interview with L\u2019Osservatore Romano<\/span>, Father Funes explained that Father Secchi was the first scientist to classify the \u201cstars according to their spectrum\u201d and that the existence of aliens \u201ccould not be excluded a priori.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Funes said establishing contact with aliens is \u201cvery difficult\u201d because of the \u201calmost insurmountable obstacle of distances in the universe,\u201d even with today\u2019s technology.<\/p>\n

He went on to note that the neither Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or academic officials at other institutions has made any statements on the issue, adding that \u201cas a scientist I am always willing to update my ideas in response to the latest research. For example, regarding the issue of space and time in the universe, I believe it is finite, while others believe it is infinite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are interesting theories about this,\u201d he continued, \u201csuch as the so-called \u2018multiverse,\u2019 but they continue to be merely speculative: the problem is in how to prove them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Funes said astronomy is an element that can contribute to dialogue between peoples, as it can help to understand that \u201call the people of the earth are under the same sky and gaze upon the same heavens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is obvious that today you cannot do research without collaboration. One country on its own cannot build a huge telescope: it is necessary to work with other people, and with other religions and cultures as well. Thus astronomy can be at the service of dialogue,\u201d the Argentinean priest said.<\/p>\n

He went on to stress that an astronomer must always have \u201chis feet planted firmly on the ground and that \u201cscientific research demands a culture of effort and work. In this way it can be useful for young people as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Father Funes said it is widely believed today that \u201cin order to be a scientist one must necessarily be atheist. This is not true,\u201d he corrected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pope said it well during the Mass of the Epiphany when he pointed out that \u2018many scientists\u2014following in Galileo’s footsteps renounce neither reason nor faith; instead they develop both in their reciprocal fruitfulness.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Vatican official has some interesting thoughts on aliens — not the undocumented kind, but the outer space kind: Father Jose Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said this week there is no opposition between belief in the existence of aliens and at the same time belief in God. 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