MESSAGE TO THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES:
ON EVOLUTION
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II* 22 October 1996** To Pontifical Academy of Sciences
"In his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation,
Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis.* In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.
What is the significance of a theory such as this one? To open this question is to enter into the field of epistemology. A theory is a meta-scientific elaboration, which is distinct from, but in harmony with, the results of observation. With the help of such a theory a group of data and independent facts can be related to one another and interpreted in one comprehensive explanation. The theory proves its validity by the measure to which it can be verified. It is constantly being tested against the facts; when it can no longer explain these facts, it shows its limits and its lack of usefulness, and it must be revised."
The Catholic church's recognition of the scientific evidence for evolution is not new. It goes back over 50 years. What this pope said is nothing new. It just has been magnified by the progressives in the hierarchy as a sign of a more modern church, and reviled by the conservatives who wish to return to rigid orthodoxy. But, it is nothing new at all.
Pope, evolution: Francis statement on science echoes earlier Church pronouncements.