Thursday, January 19, 2006

VATICAN: NO SUPPORT FOR INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The official Vatican newspaper has endorsed a judge's decision to remove Intelligent Design from the classroom:
The official Vatican newspaper published an article this week labeling as "correct" the recent decision by a judge in Pennsylvania that intelligent design should not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution.

"If the model proposed by Darwin is not considered sufficient, one should search for another," Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna, wrote in the Jan. 16-17 edition of the paper, L'Osservatore Romano.

"But it is not correct from a methodological point of view to stray from the field of science while pretending to do science," he wrote, calling intelligent design unscientific. "It only creates confusion between the scientific plane and those that are philosophical or religious."

The article was not presented as an official church position. But in the subtle and purposely ambiguous world of the Vatican, the comments seemed notable, given their strength on a delicate question much debated under the new pope, Benedict XVI.

Advocates for teaching evolution hailed the article. "He is emphasizing that there is no need to see a contradiction between Catholic teachings and evolution," said Dr. Francisco J. Ayala, professor of biology at the University of California, Irvine, and a former Dominican priest. "Good for him."

The Vatican has played footsie with evolution for some time now. This should really come as no great shock.

1 comment:

Chuck Anziulewicz said...

JUST MAYBE, the reason God gave us the brains He did is to promote curiosity, investigative science, and our ability to unravel the mysteries of His Creation. I think the Vatican recognizes that. And isn't it amazing what we've learned so far?

"Playing footsie with evolution?" REALLY, Alan.