Catholic Views On Creation

Catholic views on creationism have undergone change over time. Roman Catholicism, along with most branches of Christianity, generally accepted a literal interpretation of creation as presented in the book of Genesis in the Bible throughout most of its history.

Evolution

In 1909, the Pontifical Biblical Commission ruled that the historical sense of the creation account in Genesis 1-3 cannot be excluded. As of 1991, this ruling had not been superseded.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII forbade the theory of evolution being taught as true, although said that evidence for and against evolution should be considered. In the Humani Generis, the Pope forbade any Catholic from teaching anything contrary to the existence of one Adam and Eve as the parents of all mankind. The theory of evolution, as it is commonly taught today, denies the existence of one Adam and Eve and thus undermines the concept of original sin that made necessary the Passion of Christ.

Pope John Paul II said in 1996 that the theory of evolution is "more than a hypothesis" and that "truth cannot contradict truth," meaning that science and a belief in God can harmoniously coexist.

The Vatican rejected requests by evolutionists for clarification of the remarks and their English translation by the Vatican newspaper.

In an interview that was published in 1997, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) stated:

Part of faith is also the patience of time. The theme you have just mentioned - Darwin, creation, the theory of evolution - is the subject of a dialogue that is not yet finished and, within our present means, is probably also impossible to settle at the moment. Not that the problem of the six days is a particularly urgent issue between faith and modern scientific research into the origin of the world. For it is obvious even in the Bible that this is a theological framework and is not intended simply to recount the history of creation. In the Old Testament itself there are other accounts of creation. In the Book of Job and in the Wisdom literature we have creation narratives that make it clear that even then believers themselves did not think that the creation account was, so to speak, a photographic depiction of the process of creation. It only seeks to convey a glimpse of the essential truth, namely, that the world comes from the power of God and is his creation. How the process actually occurred is a wholly different question, which even the Bible itself leaves wide open. Conversely, I think that in great measure the theory of evolution has not gotten beyond hypotheses and is often mixed with almost mythical philosophies that have yet to be critically discussed.

Intelligent Design

The position of cardinals in the Church on intelligent design are nearly as diverse as the cardinals themselves. The Cardinal archbishop of Vienna has spoken out in support of intelligent design. The director of the Vatican observatory, Father George V. Coyne, has been critical of it.

The Vatican itself has never taken an official position on the issue.

Bibliography

• Keane, Gerard J., "Creation Rediscovered", Credis, 1991, ISBN 0 646 04291 2.
• Keane, Gerard J., "Creation Rediscovered: Evolution & the Importance of the Origins Debate", Tan, 1999, ISBN 978-0895556073. Chapter 13 (The Position within Catholicism) on-line: part 1; part 2.