Posted on 02/10/2009 1:03:46 PM PST by NYer
... is going to sponsor and host a four-day conference on biological evolution and Darwin's theory of the origin of species. From Vatican Information Service:
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
VATICAN CITY, 10 FEB 2009 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, the presentation took place of an international conference entitled: "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A critical appraisal 150 years after 'The Origin of Species'". The event is due to take place in Rome from 3 to 7 March.
The congress has been jointly organised by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, U.S.A., under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture and as part of the STOQ Project (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest).
Participating in today's press conference were Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and president of the Committee of Honour of the congress; Fr. Marc Leclerc S.J., professor of the philosophy of nature at the Gregorian University and director of the congress; Fr. Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, professor of fundamental theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, and Saverio Forestiero, professor of zoology at Rome's Torvergata University and a member of the organising committee.
Archbishop Ravasi pointed out that the forthcoming congress responds to the need "to re-establish dialogue between science and faith, because neither of them can fully resolve the mystery of human beings and the universe".
For his part Fr. Leclerc explained that the congress will be divided into nine sessions, focusing on "the essential facts upon which the theory of evolution rests, facts associated with palaeontology and molecular biology; ... the scientific study of the mechanisms of evolution, ... and what science has to say about the origin of human beings". Attention will also be given to "the great anthropological questions concerning evolution, ... and the rational implications of the theory for the epistemological and metaphysical fields and for the philosophy of nature". Finally, he said, "there will be two theological sessions to study evolution from the point of view of Christian faith, on the basis of a correct exegesis of the biblical texts that mention the creation, and of the reception of the theory of evolution by the Church".
Saverio Forastiero observed that "the relative fluidity of contemporary evolutionary theory is largely due to a series of discoveries made in the last quarter of a century, discoveries which require the synthetic theory to be reconfigured and could lead to a theory of evolution of the third generation".
"It is my view", he went on, "that this congress represents an opportunity, neither propagandistic nor apologetic, for scientists, philosophers and theologians to meet and discuss the fundamental questions raised by biological evolution - which is assumed and discussed as a fact beyond all reasonable doubt - in order to examine its manifestations and causal mechanisms, and to analyse the impact and quality of the explanatory theories thus far proposed".
For his part, Fr. Tanzella-Nitti highlighted how "from the perspective of Christian theology, biological evolution and creation are by no means mutually exclusive. ... None of the evolutionary mechanisms opposes the affirmation that God wanted - in other words, created - man. Neither is this opposed by the casual nature of the many events that happened during the slow development of life, as long as the recourse to chance remains a simple scientific reading of phenomena".
"I hope", he went on, "that the natural sciences may be used by theology as a positive informational resource, and not just seen as a source of problems. ... I do not believe biological evolution is possible in a materialist world, without information, without direction, without a plan. In a created world, the role of theology is precisely that of talking to us about nature and the meaning it has, of the Logos which, as Benedict XVI likes to say, is the uncreated foundation of all things and of history".
Meanwhile, some open-minded, tolerant, and completely objective chemistry professors at Boston College are upset that the Jesuit school has reintroduced crucifixes into classrooms. Hmmmm...
Also, an Associated Press piece about the conference expresses some befuddlement about how various Catholic leaders (Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Schönborn, etc.) can apparently disagree on particulars about evolutionary theory.
Several articles on related topics can be found on the Intelligent Project website:
Ping!
No comment. Except thank you, L-rd, for delivering me (just in the nick of time, apparently).
Bump
The Earth is immobile. Somebody ring up NASA and other space agencies around the world, to tell them that their work on transfer orbits and launch windows with gravity assist, was erroneous.
That book is from Catholic Apologetics International, which one can compare to Weekly World News.
It’s not from the Vatican, silly.
Please see post 7.
Heh, like evolution rises to the level as the dogma of the Trinity (as much as some would like to make it).
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there aren't more Catholics who doubt the trinity than doubt Darwin.
Anti-Catholic fetishists never rest.
Because that was resolved eons again.
Also, when you have a lot of people in the post-Christian UK still doubting Darwin, I think you hypothesis doesn't stand a chance.
Unfortunately.
It’s not from the Vatican, silly.
Unfortunately.
>> The Earth is immobile.
Who can prove the universe does not center around you? Where does the center of the ‘universe’ exist? And is mass the defining attribute of relative location in infinite context?
I bet we humans are merely playing with toy blocks of Nature - something to keep the curious lifeform busy in fantasy and adventure for its fleeting existence on Earth.
So you’re equating geocentrism with Darwinism?
Sometimes secular people are less dogmatic than religions trying to prove to the world that they aren't old fogies (and certainly not to be confused with Those Awful People).
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is perhaps the most dogmatic organization of Darwinists in the world.
Sigh....
No, not precisely, since 1)Geocentrism isn't so much based on the Bible as on the way things look to people on earth (Creationism, on the other hand, has no source but the Bible), and 2)I acknowledge that cosmology, the way the universe is actually structured, is within the purview of science (which cosmogony plainly is not).
However . . . I notice that there are still people who make the case for geocentrism and that a Catholic spokesman some time back (name and context not precisely recalled) refused to say that geocentrism is false when asked point blank several times.
It's mainly that I'd love to see scientism given a dose of humility. And also that Galileo, the great "martyr for the truth" (for people who reject all concept of meaning and therefore have no business honoring martyrs or truth at all) was in fact an actual heretic--not with regard to "heliocentrism," but with regard to something else (he had a philosophy of truth that logically extended would deny transubstantiation or something like that). If I find the article online I'll send you the URL.
You are right about Galileo.
I really miss wideawake. He knew how outnumbered he was in "his" church. Shoot, he's probably been excommunicated by now.
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