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Catholic Views On Creation (view source)
Revision as of 06:41, August 18, 2008
, 06:41, August 18, 2008→Evolution: add explanation of alternate translation
<br><br>Consequently, theories of evolution which, in accordance with the philosophies inspiring them, consider the mind as emerging from the forces of living matter, or as a mere epiphenomenon of this matter, are incompatible with the truth about man. Nor are they able to ground the dignity of the person." <ref>http://www.cin.org/jp2evolu.html</ref></blockquote>
<br><br>Consequently, theories of evolution which, in accordance with the philosophies inspiring them, consider the mind as emerging from the forces of living matter, or as a mere epiphenomenon of this matter, are incompatible with the truth about man. Nor are they able to ground the dignity of the person." <ref>http://www.cin.org/jp2evolu.html</ref></blockquote>
This statement has sometimes been translated as saying that evolution is "more than a hypothesis", and used to support the claim that the Pope has recognized the truth of evolution. Regardless of which translation is better, the Pope was certainly not saying that evolution was a single hypothesis that must now be accepted. He was saying that scientific advances have made the situation more complicated than was previously recognized. He went on to say that "we should speak of several theories of evolution". Some of these theories are compatible with Catholic teachings, and some are not.
In an interview that was published in 1997, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) stated:
In an interview that was published in 1997, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) stated: