Thursday, April 12, 2007

Pope, Darwinian 'gaps' show need for faith and reason

Middle East Times
Deborah Cole
AFP
April 12, 2007

BERLIN -- Pope Benedict XVI has called for reconciling faith and reason when looking at the earth's creation, arguing that the theory of evolution has significant "gaps."

A German book published this week, Creation and Evolution, records the pope's reflections in a seminar last September at his summer palace in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome with a group of his former students.

Benedict cites "open questions" on Darwinism and the demands they make on followers of Church doctrine.

"Not that I want to cram dear God in those gaps - he is too big to find enough space in those gaps," he said.

Benedict quotes his predecessor John Paul II in saying that the theory of evolution is more than a hypothesis, but adds that it was also "not yet a complete, scientifically verified theory."

He said the teachings of evolution raised philosophical questions that "go beyond natural science," noting that much of Darwinism cannot be proved because "10,000 generations cannot be brought into the laboratory."

But he is equally critical of science that excludes any mention of the divine.
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