Vatican says aliens could exist

[gadjo_dilo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7399661.stm

Why do they this NOW ? Is this to prepare us for something that will happen in the near future?

[Garry Walker]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7399661.stm

Why do they this NOW ? Is this to prepare us for something that will happen in the near future?

Aliens are far more likely to exist than god.

[ShiftingGears]

THEY're HIDING SOMETHING.

[Dave B]

They could exist, and they probably do. It would be incredible if among the billions of stars there weren't some life-bearing planets.

[BDunnell]

I like the fact that he says that these beings, if they exist, were definitely created by God. I wonder whether other astronomers not working for the Vatican would be quite so sure of this in public?

[gadjo_dilo]

Don't know about astronomers but last night I watched a TV debate and some of our specialists in UFO -s who happen to be scientists agreed it's possible.

What's really interesting is the evolution of church's opinion. In the past they even didn't admit that the earth is round.

[BDunnell]

Don't know about astronomers but last night I watched a TV debate and some of our specialists in UFO -s who happen to be scientists agreed it's possible.

What's really interesting is the evolution of church's opinion. In the past they even didn't admit that the earth is round.

To me, admittedly as a non-believer in religious terms, this 'evolution' casts doubt on the absolute veracity of many teachings. After all, there used to be an enormous amount of rigidity about this, and only recently has more flexibility entered into the discussion, not least when one listens to clergymen themselves.

(By the way, regarding UFOs, they do certainly exist in a literal sense. There are certainly flying objects that, for all sorts of reasons, go unidentified.)

[dc10]

I've always been of the opinion that if there's life on this planet, there's no reason why other planets (not necessarily in our solar system) can't support life of some sort. After all, why should just Earth be habited.

[rah]

I think if intelligent life forms came anywhere near us they would get our TV signals and be scared away.

[Dave B]

It's a popular and attractive thought that these "aliens" could travel to Earth. But imagine a planet similar to how ours was a few millenia ago: oceans teeming with life, forests full of diverse wildlife, and primitive mammals learning to use simple tools. You'd certainly say that planet had intelligent life.