The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand,” Pope Francis said during a speech at the unveiling of a bust of Pope Benedict XVI at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Experts said the pope put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some said were encouraged by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Francis said both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they “require it.” “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said. He added: “He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment.
The Papacy has never taught the Bible principles of a literal six-day fiat creation as the Bible describes. Hardly any papal doctrine, for that matter, teaches completely what the Bible says. It is the Protestants that hold the true nature of creation as described in the Bible.
“The Big Bang,” Francis continued, “which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it… Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
Pope Francis also said that the “evolution of nature does not contrast with the notion of creation, as evolution presupposes the creation of beings that evolve.”
Historically, Pope Pius XII, in 1952 welcomed the Big Bang theory and John Paul II, in 1996 even said it was “more than a hypothesis” and “effectively proven fact.”
On the other hand, Benedict XVI seemed to endorse intelligent design, which he said underpins evolution. Intelligent design is the concept that natural selection on its own is insufficient to explain the complexity of nature. Other Catholic scholars also supported intelligent design. Cardinal Schoenborn, for instance, wrote an article in which he said, “evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense – an unguided, unplanned process – is not” true.
While some articles suggested that Francis statement represented a change in church teaching. But Catholic scientists and astronomers denied any change, but rather that the pope was reaffirming Church teaching. “It is important to emphasize that Pope Francis was not saying anything new or ‘breaking with tradition,’” said Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, a research astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory, which is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See.
Consolmagno also said current theories of evolution came as a result of the work of a Catholic priest and a Catholic monk. “The genetic basis of modern evolutionary theory is based on the work of Gregor Mendel, a Catholic monk; and the modern Big Bang theory was first proposed by Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest,” he said.
“The truths of the Bible have again become obscured by custom, tradition, and false doctrine. The erroneous teachings of popular theology have made thousands upon thousands of skeptics and infidels. There are errors and inconsistencies which many denounce as the teaching of the Bible that are really false interpretations of Scripture, adopted during the ages of papal darkness. Multitudes have been led to cherish an erroneous conception of God…” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, Page 711
Source Reference