“Intelligent design” not science: Vatican paper

In an article L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, there seems to be support for evolution over intelligent design.

“intelligent design does not belong to science and there is no justification for the demand it be taught as a scientific theory alongside the Darwinian explanation,” said the article in the Tuesday edition of the newspaper.

Evolution represents “the interpretative key of the history of life on Earth” and the debate in the United States was “polluted by political positions,” wrote Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at Italy’s Bologna University.

“So the decision by the Pennsylvania judge seems correct.”

I guess that the church has learned her lesson from Leonardo’s trial.

I have always enjoyed the works of the Catholic philosopher Teilhard de Chardin who said: “Christ is realized in evolution.” Although I am not a Catholic, I am comforted that the Vatican has shown some good sense.

These are bold words for these times where the political world seems intimidated by the religious right.