Vatican Conference Explores Extraterrestrial Life

In exchange for developing the telescope and bringing to light some theologically unsavory discoveries having to do with the Earth not so much being at the center of things, Galileo Galilei found himself confronted by a displeased Vatican who deemed his proclamations heretical.

What a difference four centuries can make: news reports indicate that the Catholic Church has convened a conference this week focused on the existence of extraterrestrial life. Organized and hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the conference took place November 6-11, and included scientists from a range of technical fields such as astronomy, chemistry, geology, biology and physics.

As PopSci suggests, Father Jose Gabriel Funes, who serves as Pope Benedict's chief astronomer (yes, as it turns out, the pope has one of those), may have tipped his cosmic-minded hand last year when he stated that extraterrestrial life poses no theological problem or challenge to church teaching.

Speaking more recently in specific reference to this past week's conference, Father Funes is quoted by The Guardian as expounding on the philosophical and spiritual implications life elsewhere may have for us here on Earth:

"Although astrobiology is an emerging field and still a developing subject, the questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very interesting and deserve serious consideration. These questions offer many philosophical and theological implications."

Photo courtesy of NoFear0710, via Wikimedia Commons