Treat aliens as brothers, says Vatican astronomer
By staff reporter
23 May 2008

Jesuit Fr José Funes of the Vatican Observatory

Aliens might exist, the Vatican's chief astronomer has said, and Christians should treat them as an "extra-terrestrial brother" and part of God's creation.

Jesuit Fr José Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory since 2006, made the remarks in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

He said it was difficult to rule out the possibility that other intelligent life exists in the universe, and explained that astronomers are now actively looking for the indicators of possible life in other stars and planets.

But Fr Funes added that potential life forms might not need oxygen or hydrogen, because just as God created multiple forms of life on earth, there may be diverse forms throughout the universe. "This is not in contrast with the faith, because we cannot place limits on the creative freedom of God," he said.

"To use St Francis's words, if we consider earthly creatures as 'brothers' and 'sisters', why can't we also speak of an 'extra-terrestrial brother'?"

Asked about the implications that alien life might have on Christian redemption, Fr Funes cited the Gospel parable of the shepherd who left his flock of 99 sheep in order to search for the one that was lost. "We who belong to the human race could really be that lost sheep, the sinners who need a pastor," he said.

"God became man in Jesus in order to save us. So if there are also other intelligent beings, it's not a given that they need redemption. They might have remained in full friendship with their creator," he said.

Fr Funes went on to say that Christ's incarnation and sacrifice was a unique and unrepeatable event, but he was sure that, if needed, God's mercy would be offered to aliens, as it was to humans.

The Argentine-born priest also said he saw no real contradiction between evolutionary science and the Christian faith, as long as evolution does not become an absolute ideology.

"As an astronomer, I can say that from the observation of stars and galaxies there emerges a clear evolutionary process," he said.

He said that in his opinion the big-bang theory remains the best explanation of the origin of the universe from a scientific point of view.

As for the biblical account of creation, Fr Funes said it was wrong to expect a scientific explanation from the Bible. "The Bible is not fundamentally a work of science," he said.

"It is a letter of love that God has written to his people, in a language that was used 2,000-3,000 years ago. Obviously, at that time a concept like the big bang was totally extraneous."

He said that astronomy was a science that can open people's minds and hearts and bring them closer to God, and that it did not lead to atheism.