Jesuit Father Jose Funes, then-director of the Vatican Observatory, caused outrage when he openly discussed what would happen should extraterrestrials come to Earth
A senior Vatican official has suggested that aliens may not require “redemption from God”. The comments, made by Jesuit Father Jose Funes in 2008, have resurfaced amid growing interest in extraterrestrial life, reports the Daily Star.
As the then-director of the Vatican Observatory, Father Funes stated that the possibility of other lifeforms in the universe is not at odds with Catholic faith.
In comments published by Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano at the time, he said that there could be other “diverse” lifeforms in the universe, a concept “not in contrast with the faith”.
He said: “This is not in contrast with the faith, because we cannot place limits on the creative freedom of God. To use St. Francis’ words, if we consider earthly creatures as ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ why can’t we also speak of an ‘extraterrestrial brother?’
“We who belong to the human race could really be that lost sheep, the sinners who need a pastor – 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.”
Father Funes also argued that his work as an astronomer does not contradict the Bible, despite providing “clear” evidence of evolution.
He stated: “The Bible is not fundamentally a work of science. 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.”
The comments, recently shared online by UFO enthusiasts, have sparked renewed calls for US President Donald Trump to disclose the government’s alleged knowledge of aliens and UFOs, with some surprised that a religious leader like Father Jose Funes might not be opposed to such revelations.
