- El Mundo (newspaper-Spain) Monday, January 7,2002
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- "It's Madness to Believe that Man is Alone"
Vatican Astronomier Admits Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life.
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- (EFE) - Jesuit George Coyne, director of the Vatican
Observatory, is convinced of the existence of extraterrestrial life and
states that it is "madness" to think than humans are alone in
the universe.
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- Father Coyne and his scientific team reached this conclusion
after studying the heavens from the astrophysical research center located
at the Papal summer residence at Castelgandolfo near Rome.
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- "The universe is so vast that it would be madness
to think that we're an exception," said Coyne in an interview with
the Milan newspaper "Corriere della Sera", underlining that "each
day new data is amassed" which leads to the possibility of life forms
different from those found on Earth. "The more we study the stars,
the more aware we become of our own ignorance," he adds.
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- The Jesuit prist, responsible since 1978 for an observatory
with more than a century of history behind it and reporting directly to
the Holy See, states that "Science does not undermine faith; rather,
it stimulates it."
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- He admits not having any proof of extraterrestrial life.
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- However, he admits that while there is no scientific
evidence today that proves the existence of life beyond Earth, Coyne is
aware that this eventuality opens a disquieting series of mysteries for
believers, and represents "a great challenge", but that it should
not be considered to be a "dramatic" event.
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- In this regard, the astronomer points out that certain
sectors of the Church consider it negative to debate or study matters which
could make Catholic doctrine "tremble somewhat." However, he
insists that there is not necessarily any conflict between the Biblical
orgin of the Cosmos and the current ones being championed by science, such
as the Big Bang. ___
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- Translation (C) 2001. Scott Corrales Institute of Hispanic
Ufology Special Thanks to S.I.B. Betelgeuse, Spain.
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