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May 18, 2008 – (Raiders News Network) Vatican chief astronomer Father Jose Gabriel Funes in a long interview with the L'Osservatore Romano newspaper this week made news by saying there is a certain possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and that such notion "doesn't contradict our faith."
"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere? 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," he said.
The statements by Funes are the latest in a string of recent comments by Vatican astronomers confirming a belief that discovery may be made in the near future of alien life, including intelligent life, and that this discovery would not unhinge the doctrine of Christ.
In 2005, another Vatican astronomer, Guy Consolmagno tackled this subject in a 50-page booklet, Intelligent Life in the Universe, in which he concluded that chances are better than not that mankind is facing a future discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence.
... highest levels of Vatican administration and geopolitics, know that, now, knowledge of what's going on in space, and what's approaching us, could be of great import in the next five years, ten years."
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The high Vatican official was Monsignor Corrado Balducci, a Catholic theologian with impressive credentials: A member of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church, a Prelate of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Propagation of the Faith, leading exorcist of the Archdiocese of Rome, a member of the Vatican's Beatification Committee, an expert on Demonology and the author of several books. Appointed in the Vatican to deal with the issue of UFO's and Extraterrestrials, he has made in recent years pronouncements indicating a tolerance of the subjects; but he has never before met and had a dialogue with a Hebrew scholar, and gone beyond prescribed formulations to include the touchy issue of the Creation of Man.
The Hebrew scholar was me -- Zecharia Sitchin: A researcher of ancient civilizations, a biblical archaeologist, a descendant of Abraham…
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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican's chief astronomer says there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of "extraterrestrial brothers" perhaps more evolved than humans.
"In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists," said Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, a 45-year-old Jesuit priest who is head of the Vatican Observatory and a scientific adviser to Pope Benedict.
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Vatican Observatory Director Fr Jose Gabriel Funes says there is no opposition between Catholic teaching and believing in the possible existence of extraterrestrial life.
In an interview titled "The Alien is my Brother "with the Vatican daily, L'Osservatore Romano, the 45 year old Argentinean priest said extraterrestrial life "is possible, even if until now, we have no proof".
"But certainly in such a big universe this hypothesis cannot be excluded," he said.
"Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures over the earth, so there could be other beings, even intelligent (beings), created by God.
it’s likely that there are other beings, who have a soul, that is less attached, less subordinated to the body and a soul of this kind can obviously accomplish progress that we, no matter how much we have progressed in this last decades, are not in the position to accomplish.
Recently the Vatican’s chief astronomer, Father Jose Gabriel Funes, said there is a certain possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and that such notion “doesn’t contradict our faith. ”On May 21, 1992, Henry Kissinger, an adviser to many presidents said, “Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being, granted to them by their world government.”