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Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
MESSAGE TO
PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
from Pope John Paul II
Magisterium is concerned with question of evolution, for it involves conception of man
"Man is called to enter into a relationship of knowledge and love with God himself, a relationship which will find its complete fulfilment beyond time, in eternity. All the depth and grandeur of this vocation are revealed to us in the mystery of the risen Christ (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 22). It is by virtue of his spiritual soul that the whole person possesses such a dignity even in his body. Pius XII stressed this essential point: if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God", the Holy Father said in a Message to the members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences who had gathered in the Vatican for their plenary assembly. The focus of the Pope's reflections was the relationship between Revelation and theories of evolution. This translation of his Message from the original French includes a correction (to an erroneously translated phrase) published in the October 23 English edition of L'Osservatore Romano
To the Members of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences
taking part in the Plenary Assembly
With great pleasure I address cordial greetings to you, Mr. President, and to all of you who constitute the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, on the occasion of your plenary assembly. I offer my best wishes in particular to the new academicians, who have come to take part in your work for the first time. I would also like to remember the academicians who died during the past year, whom I commend to the Lord of life.
1. In celebrating the
60th anniversary of the Academy's refoundation, I would like to recall the
intentions of my predecessor Pius XI, who wished to surround himself with a
select group of scholars, relying on them to inform the Holy See in complete
freedom about developments in scientific research, and thereby to assist him in
his reflections.
He asked those whom he called the Church's Senatus scientificus to serve the
truth. I again extend this same invitation to you today, certain that we will
all be able to profit from the fruitfulness of a trustful dialogue between the
Church and science (cf. Address to the Academy of Sciences, n. 1, 28
October 1986 L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 24 November 1986, p.
22).
Science at the dawn of the
third millennium
2. I am pleased with the first theme you have chosen, that of the origins
of life and evolution, an essential subject which deeply interests the Church,
since Revelation, for its part, contains teaching concerning the nature and
origins of man. How do the conclusions reached by the various scientific
disciplines coincide with those contained in the message of Revelation? And if,
at first sight, there are apparent contradictions, in what direction do we look
for their solution? We know, in fact, that truth cannot contradict truth (cf.
Leo XIII, Encyclical Providentissimus Deus). Moreover, to shed greater
light on historical truth, your research on the Church's relations with science
between the 16th and 18th centuries is of great importance.
During this plenary session, you are undertaking a "reflection on science at the
dawn of the third millennium", starting with the identification of the principal
problems created by the sciences and which affect humanity's future. With this
step you point the way to solutions which will be beneficial to the whole human
community. In the domain of inanimate and animate nature, the evolution of
science and its applications gives rise to new questions. The better the
Church's knowledge is of their essential aspects, the more she will understand
their impact. Consequently in accordance with her specific mission she will be
able to offer criteria for discerning the moral conduct required of all human
beings in view of their integral salvation.
3. Before offering you
several reflections that more specifically concern the subject of the origin of
life and its evolution, I would like to remind you that the Magisterium of the
Church has already made pronouncements on these matters within the framework of
her own competence. I will cite here two interventions.
In his Encyclical Humani generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII had
already stated that there was no opposition between evolution and the doctrine
of the faith about man and his vocation, on condition that one did not lose
sight of several indisputable points (cf. MS 42 [1950], pp. 575-576).
For my part, when I received those taking part in your Academy's plenary
assembly on 31 October 1992, I had the opportunity, with regard to Galileo, to
draw attention to the need of a rigorous hermeneutic for the correct
interpretation of the inspired word. It is necessary to determine the proper
sense of Scripture, while avoiding any unwarranted interpretations that make it
say what it does not intend to say. In order to delineate the field of their own
study, the exegete and the theologian must keep informed about the results
achieved by the natural sciences (cf. AAS 85 [1993] pp. 764-772;
Address to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, 23 April 1993, announcing the
document on The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church: AAS 86 [1994]
pp. 232-243).
Evolution and the Church's
Magisterium
4. Taking into account the state of scientific research at the time as
well as of the requirements of theology, the Encyclical Humani generis
considered the doctrine of "evolutionism" a serious hypothesis, worthy of
investigation and in-depth study equal to that of the opposing hypothesis. Pius
XII added two methodological conditions: that this opinion should not be adopted
as though it were a certain, proven doctrine and as though one could totally
prescind from Revelation with regard to the questions it raises. He also spelled
out the condition on which this opinion would be compatible with the Christian
faith, a point to which I will return.
Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical, new
knowledge has led to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a
hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively
accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of
knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of
work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in
favour of this theory.
What is the significance of such a theory? To address this question is to enter
the field of epistemology. A theory is a metascientific elaboration, distinct
from the results of observation but consistent with them. By means of it a
series of independent data and facts can be related and interpreted in a unified
explanation. A theory's validity depends on whether or not it can be verified;
it is constantly tested against the facts; wherever it can no longer explain the
latter, it shows its limitations and unsuitability. It must then be rethought.
Furthermore, while the formulation of a theory like that of evolution complies
with the need for consistency with the observed data, it borrows certain notions
from natural philosophy.
And, to tell the truth. rather than the theory of evolution, we should
speak of several theories of evolution. On the one hand, this plurality
has to do with the different explanations advanced for the mechanism of
evolution, and on the other, with the various philosophies on which it is based.
Hence the existence of materialist, reductionist and spiritualist
interpretations. What is to be decided here is the true role of philosophy and,
beyond it, of theology.
5. The Church's
Magisterium is directly concerned with the question of evolution, for it
involves the conception of man: Revelation teaches us that he was created in the
image and likeness of God (cf. Gn 1:2729). The conciliar Constitution Gaudium
et spes has magnificently explained this doctrine, which is pivotal to
Christian thought. It recalled that man is "the only creature on earth that God
has wanted for its own sake" (n. 24). In other terms, the human individual
cannot be subordinated as a pure means or a pure instrument, either to the
species or to society; he has value per se. He is a person. With his intellect
and his will, he is capable of forming a relationship of communion, solidarity
and self-giving with his peers. St Thomas observes that man's likeness to God
resides especially in his speculative intellect, for his relationship with the
object of his knowledge resembles God's relationship with what he has created (Summa
Theologica, I-II, q. 3, a. 5, ad 1). But even more, man is called to enter
into a relationship of knowledge and love with God himself, a relationship which
will find its complete fulfilment beyond time, in eternity. All the depth and
grandeur of this vocation are revealed to us in the mystery of the risen Christ
(cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 22). It is, by virtue of his spiritual soul that
the whole person possesses such a dignity even in his body. Pius XII stressed
this essential point: if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent
living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God ("animas enim
a Deo immediate creari catholica fides nos retinere iubet" Encyclical
Humani generis, AAS 42 [1950], P. 575)
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.
6. With man, then, we find ourselves in the presence of an ontological difference, an ontological leap, one could say. However, does not the posing of such ontological discontinuity run counter to that physical continuity which seems to be the main thread of research into evolution in the field of physics and chemistry? Consideration of the method used in the various branches of knowledge makes it possible to reconcile two points of view which would seem irreconcilable. The sciences of observation describe and measure the multiple manifestations of life with increasing precision and correlate them with the time line. The moment of transition to the spiritual cannot be the object of this kind of observation, which nevertheless can discover at the experimental level a series of very valuable signs indicating what is specific to the human being. But the experience of metaphysical knowledge, of self awareness and self-reflection; of moral conscience, freedom, or again, of aesthetic and religious experience, falls within the competence of philosophical analysis and reflection, while theology brings out its ultimate meaning according to the Creator's plans.
We are called to enter
eternal life
7. In conclusion, I would like to call to mind a Gospel truth which can
shed a higher light on the horizon of your research into the origins and
unfolding of living matter. The Bible in fact bears an extraordinary message of
life. It gives us a wise vision of life inasmuch as it describes the loftiest
forms of existence. This vision guided me in the Encyclical which I dedicated to
respect for human life, and which I called precisely Evangelium vitae.
It is significant that in St John's Gospel life refers to the divine light which
Christ communicates to us. We are called to enter into eternal life, that is to
say, into the eternity of divine beatitude.
To warn us against the serious temptations threatening us, our Lord quotes the
great saying of Deuteronomy: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Dt 8:3; cf. Mt 4:4).
Even more, "life" is one of the most beautiful titles which the Bible attributes
to God. He is the living God.
I cordially invoke an abundance of divine blessings upon you and upon all who
are close to you.
From the Vatican, 22 October 1996.
Ioannes Paulus pp II
L'Osservatore
Romano
Weekly Edition in English
30 October 1996
N.44, p3 and 7
