Pope prepares to embrace theory of intelligent design

Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican's view of evolution.

Pope's debate group to publish evolution talksGroup says it sees no contradiction between divine creation and evolution

The minutes, to be issued later this year, will show how Catholic theologians see no contradiction between their belief in divine creation and the scientific theory of evolution, they said after the annual closed-door meeting ended on Sunday.Advance media speculation had said the debate might shift Vatican policy to embrace "intelligent design," which claims to prove scientifically that life could not have simply evolved, or the "creationist" view that God created the world in six days."It wasn't that at all," Father Joseph Fessio S.J., provost of Ave Maria University in Florida, told Reuters. The Pope's session with 39 former students was "a meeting of friends with some scholars to discuss an interesting theme.""There's a controversy in the United States because there is a lack of awareness of a thing called philosophy," said Fessio, whose Ignatius Press publishes Benedict's books in English."Evangelicals and creationists generally lack it and Catholics have it," he said."When you look at the world and see what appears to be order and design, the conclusion that there is a designer is not a scientific conclusion, it's a philosophical one."

aren't these the same catholics that aren't christians to you?
if they aren't christians, then why support genesis?

Herepton writes:IF they are shown to support Darwinian evolution then they are not true Christians, however. My point was: Catholic heirarchy is very smart. They have, over the years, said many things to make the world think that they are not against Darwin, while at the same time their ***official*** pro-Creationist position (via Council decisions and Papal decrees) has never changed since the First century.Therefore when a undershepherd speaks in behalf of a committee of Catholic theologians and says the ToE and the Bible are not in conflict, these statements are not worth the air that they float on into our ears since, like I pointed out, the official position is contained in Council decisions and Papal decrees.

IF they are shown to support Darwinian evolution then they are not true Christians, however.

But on the other hand it doesn't seem practical that the Church's position should only be based on official decrees.

For example they (presumably) haven't made a formal decree on the status of gravity or the flat earth theory or the status of superstring theory. Do you know if there is a formal position on the sun-centred cosmology or other scientific issues that have caused controversy in the past? Or were such scientific advances accepted tacitly, without formal decrees?

Please be more specific of which kinds of christians.

Herepton writes:Dumb fucks like Phatboy...

This message was written before the "banned" or "suspended" sign appeared underneath your name.

Anyone upset with my language ?

Ray writes: What are you talking about ?