Pope Francis on Monday said that the Big Bang and evolution theories do not contradict the concept of creation.
“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,” he said at an assembly of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. “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.”
“God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life,” he continued. “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
Pope Francis did say that the beginning of the world was an act of love, not “a work of chaos.”
Francis is not the first pope to state that evolution and creation are not at odds, according to USA Today. Pope Pius XII in 1950 said that there wasn’t any opposition between the theory of evolution and Catholic teachings, and multiple popes since have agreed with him.
Not really news. Not a change in Catholic doctrine whatsoever.
Nothing new here; I was taught this in Catholic schools years and years ago. Most of my friends and acquaintances, Boomers all of us, were taught the same thing (and we attended different Catholic schools together!)
The Creation Museum in Kentucky begs to differ and will charge you only $29.95 per person to find out more.
Granted, but given the assault on science and reason these days it might bear repeating
Catholics haven’t opposed evolution for decades. That is an evangelical thing. They think of God as a magician and of the bible as being a simple minded recitation of facts.