Pope Declares Darwin And God Can Coexist

In his most comprehensive statement yet on evolution, Pope John Paul II insisted that faith and science can coexist, telling scientists that Darwin’s theories are sound as long as they take into account that creation was the work of God.

The pope’s message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a lay organization meeting in Rome this week, recalled how Pope Pius XII proclaimed in 1950 that evolutionary doctrine was a “serious hypothesis.”

In the statement released Wednesday, the pope said new knowledge has confirmed that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is “more than a hypothesis.”

Darwin’s theory - that humankind was the product of a slow, evolutionary process from early forms of life - conflicts with the literal biblical account of creation, that the world, including humans, was created in six days.

Although the pope has in the past made references to the growing scientific consensus behind evolution, his latest comments were the clearest and most comprehensive in support of Darwin’s conclusions.

The fact that he issued the statement to a group of lay scientists added additional resonance to the Vatican’s position that evolution and faith in God can co-exist.

The pope, who has urged the Vatican to adopt modern communication technologies, often stresses that progress should not overwhelm the “dignity of man” and his spirituality.

By not challenging the evidence supporting evolution, the Vatican places the Roman Catholic viewpoint in stark contrast to that of some fundamentalist Christians, who believe the biblical account of Creation is literal.

“The pope’s words confirm that science and faith are both gifts from God,” said Italian nuclear physicist Antonino Zichichi, who often comments on theological issues. “No scientific discovery has ever led man to conclude that God doesn’t exist.”

John Paul cautioned that the Church and the faithful must remain firm on two points: Creation itself is the work of God, and human beings have another dimension beyond the physical.

In the message released Wednesday, the pope said evolution does not give enough weight to a person’s spirit and was “incapable of establishing the dignity of man.”

Throughout his papacy, John Paul has paid close attention to science. In 1992, at the end of 13 years of study by the Vatican, he declared the Church was wrong to condemn the astronomer Galileo Galilei.

Galileo was condemned in 1633 for contending that the Earth was not the center of the universe, as church teaching then held. The church accused him of heresy and forced him to renounce his beliefs.

“With Galileo’s recent ‘rehabilitation’ and with this message by Pope John Paul II, the tear between the church and science has been strung together,” said Francesco Barone, a philosopher on scientific issues.