Posted on 11/19/2009 8:53:31 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Vatican has just completed a five day conference on astrobiology where scientists convened to discuss the detection and implications of extraterrestrial life. A major driving force behind the conference was the Director of the Vatican Observatory, the Jesuit priest Father Jose Gabriel Funes. In May 2008, Funes gave an interview to the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper saying that the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials posed no problems to Catholic theology. The conference itself was officially convened by the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences, chaired by its religious leader Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, and was held on private Vatican grounds from November 6-10. Together with Funes’ 2008 interview and subsequent public comments by him, the conference demonstrates a welcome openness by the Vatican on the possibility and implications of extraterrestrial life. The Vatican’s openness to discussion of extraterrestrial life is no accident. It is part of an openness policy secretly adopted by the United Nations in February 2008. In fact, the Vatican is playing a leading role in preparing the world for extraterrestrial disclosure.
For most observers, the conference was an innovative scientific gathering sanctioned by the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences to show the Holy See’s support for modern science in the detection of extraterrestrial life. The conference primarily focused on the detection of primitive extraterrestrial life forms, and featured presentations from nearly 30 international experts in astronomy, physics and biology. Marc Kaufman from the Washington Post reports:
Scientists (many of them nonbelievers) are offering presentations on subjects as varied as how life might have begun on Earth; what newly found "extremophile" microbes living in harsh places on our planet might tell us about possible life on others; and how life forms might be detected in our solar system, or how their bio-signatures might be found on and around the many distant exoplanets.
Discussion of the implications of intelligent extraterrestrial life, both scientific and theological, did not appear prominently in the conference agenda. One of the presenters, however, Prof Paul Davies commented on the religious implications of discovering intelligent extraterrestrial life: "If you look back at the history of Christian debate on this, it divides into two camps. There are those that believe that it is human destiny to bring salvation to the aliens, and those who believe in multiple incarnations," Davies pointed out that the multiple incarnations theory, the idea that multiple examples of Jesus Christ would be found in the universe “is a heresy in Catholicism."
The Vatican, through Funes, is supporting the idea that the incarnation of Christ is a unique event in Earth’s history tied in to humanity’s ‘fall’ and ‘original sin’. This idea was a major focus in Father Funes’ May 2008 interview which was titled "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that intelligent extraterrestrial life may not have experienced a ‘fall’, and may be “free from Original Sin … [remaining] in full friendship with their creator.” This makes it possible to regard them as ‘our brothers’ as Funes explained:
Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth, there can be other beings, even intelligent, created by God. This is not in contrast with our faith because we can't put limits on God's creative freedom… "Why can't we speak of a 'brother extraterrestrial'? It would still be part of creation…
Most importantly, Funes’ statement makes possible the idea that Christianity can be exported to extraterrestrial worlds that have not experienced a ‘fall’ and are free from original sin.
The Vatican’s new openness on extraterrestrial life is consistent with reports of secret discussions held at the United Nations that began in February 2008. The Vatican’s permanent representative to the UN, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, was reported to have attended along with a number of other prominent government officials to discuss increased UFO sightings and the implications of extraterrestrial visitation. Significantly, Migliore's position requires that he maintains close relations with the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences. At the time of the secret UN discussions, Migliore made a presentation on moral issues associated with scientific problems such as climate change. Most importantly, the UN discussions reportedly led to a new policy of openness being adopted by approximately 30 nations that would begin in 2009.
Another noteworthy participant reported to have attended the 2008 UN discussions was Britain’s Permanent representative at the time, Sir John Sawers. Sawers was later appointed to head Britain’s prestigious foreign intelligence service MI6. The appointment of a diplomat to head an intelligence service was highly unusual. According to a BBC report: “giving the job to someone more recently associated with diplomatic service was regarded as a break from the tradition.” Seen in the context of the February UN meetings, perhaps MI6 was acknowledging the need for greater diplomacy in dealing with problems posed by a new openness policy on UFOs, and eventual disclosure of extraterrestrial life.
The Vatican sponsored astrobiology conference was a landmark event. It showed that the Vatican was willing to officially sanction public discussions on the existence of extraterrestrial life. More significantly, it showed that the Vatican was willing to initiate a comprehensive dialogue on the theological implications of the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The Vatican’s astrobiology conference is yet one more sign that major global institutions are preparing for some kind of formal disclosure concerning UFOs and/or extraterrestrial life. This is a direct outcome of a series of landmark meetings at the UN beginning in February 2008 that led to the adoption of a new openness policy.
After more than a year of openness, the Vatican is taking the openness policy to a new level, and preparing the public for some kind of formal extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Numerous independent sources have predicted such disclosure is imminent, and that the Obama administration is expected to play a prominent role. The Vatican is also positioning itself to play a major role in such an announcement and in a post-disclosure world. Its emerging theological position that extraterrestrials “are our brothers” is a welcome departure from more hostile depictions of extraterrestrial life found in some religious denominations and in Hollywood movies. On the other hand, the idea that the Vatican could justify sending missionaries to convert extraterrestrials born without original sin, does raise major concerns. The Vatican, nevertheless, is currently playing a constructive role in preparing the public for the imminent disclosure of extraterrestrial life.
(VIDEO AT LINK)
[Event Notice: Dr Michael Salla will speak about the theological implications of extraterrestrial life at the upcoming Earth Transformation Conference on the Big Island of Hawaii (January 7-12, 2010).]
They exist, that’s not the question.
The question is: Do they or don’t they, want to eat us?
And you play a significant role in that deception.
This reporter’s slant is pretty silly, and based more on his own wishful thinking than anything else. The Vatican Observatory held a conference where the topic came up. The head of the observatory is in favor of discussing the topic of extraterrestrial life. From this we are to infer that “the Vatican,” from the pope on down, is leading some kind of charge here?
Look, the various departments that comprise “the Vatican” work with quite a bit of autonomy. Just because someone working at the Vatican says or does something, it doesn’t follow that there is all that much importance attached. The pope often is not in the loop at all. If he had to sign-off on everything that workers at the Vatican did, he might as well fire everyone and just “do everything himself.” Just as Moses was told to distribute his authority to lesser judges in order to ease his case load, and concentrate on the more important issues, so too, the pope, as earthly head of a world-wide Church, needs to delegate in lesser matters. Until the pope himself steps into this discussion one way or the other, the opinions of the Vatican Observatory’s director, Father Funes, are just that: his opinions.
Way too much is being read into this, and the stuff about Archbishop Migliore aligning the Vatican’s outlook on extraterrestrials with that of the UN is just more wishful thinking on the part of the article writer.
It’s really kind of funny. When the “Vatican,” in the person of the pope, or perhaps his Secretary of State or some other legitimate “high-ranking Vatican official” makes a statement about faith or morals that should actually get the attention of the press, the press generally ignores it. But, when some vapid topic like UFO discussion comes up, the press breathlessly hangs on every word coming from the Vatican, even when the authority is more than a few links down on the chain of command. This is the stuff for “Coast to Coast,” perhaps, but not what should be worthy of the attention of “serious” media outlets.
To devote this kind of focus to such a trivial issue is the media’s equivalent of creating a “false flag,” designed to divert attention from the Vatican’s (especially the pope himself) attempts to teach a highly corrupted world the things that lead to God. The media pretend to attach major significance to the “Vatican’s words” in such matters, but what is really wanted is a diminishing of the Vatican’s authority via the mechanism of making its pronouncements look like the stuff you can only receive by tuning-in a tinfoil hat.
I ain’t buying it.
Thanks for the ping!
Coolest post of the thread. Poul Anderson rules, he is always involving historic Catholic and Orthodox elements into his stuff. Gene Wolfe also uses Christian imagery/aspects into his speculative fiction/sci-fi/fantasy. And of course there is CS Lewis. All three treat Christianity fairly in my opinion, which is pretty rare in my experience.
Freegards
The Author is capable of having more than one Book, one room, and one Salvation. Indeed, our Book says that "In my Father's house there are many rooms." (John 14:2)
Assuming He really is omnipotent, of course...
Of course!
Wasn't high tech Nazi Germany a big improvement over Imperial Rome?
Well, obviously cow mugging anal probing Space Aliens are a big improvement over Nazi Germany...
I think/believe that sincere devotion is a delight and cherished treasure to God.
Yeah. True.
Thanks.
However, I don’t plan to wait for the snow-ball fight in hell to introduce or precede such an apology. I think a number would rather die first.
Signing on for the same reaping, I see.
I have a hard time believing I just read that.
I have a hard time believing any authentic conservative on FR wrote that.
Thanks for your continued digging.
Just a dose of his own dripping kindness, lol.
That’s real sweet of you.
However . . . it’s worth noting . . . the graph on the Vatican’s pronouncements on the topic parallels the general graph of the unfolding puzzle pieces toward more and more overt discussion and manifestations.
On this topic, The Vatican is quite in league with, in step with, in concert with, in agreement with the general trends and with the British, French, Brazilians, Canadians, Russians toward more and more frank discussion, more and more revelations, more and more dramatic manifestations.
You can fantasize all you wish about the Vatican being in a league of it’s own keeping its own counsel etc. on this topic.
IT JUST AIN’T SO.
Yes, but brilliantly executed.
I used to hope that the Vatican WAS keeping its own counsel and going to take a divergent stance on the issues and topic.
I’ve sadly had to trash that notion as it has been increasingly proven by the Vatican’s own pronouncements, that THAT is just far from the truth.
No digging necessary...it's obvious, like a rash all over the FR servers.
I’m not so sure about that.
Besides, there’s signifcant evidence that the fallen angels were in close communication with the Nazis and that the Nazi’s had built at least a protogype UFO or 3.
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