Pope Francis delivered a speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in which he supported the big bang theory.
The Pope explained, “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so.”
He further added, “He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment.”
The Pontiff also stressed God was no magician, “God is not… a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
Pope Francis is not the first ruler of the Vatican to say that the big bang and evolution is real. Pope John Paul II said in 1996, evolution was “more than a hypothesis” and “effectively proven fact.”
Pope Pius XII also welcomed the idea and paved the way for a more scientific understanding of the world.
The President of Italy’s National Institute of Astrophysics and professor, Giovanni Bignami said, “The Pope’s statement is significant. We are the direct descendants from the Big Bang that created the universe. Evolution came from creation.”
Although the present Pope’s views clash with his predecessor Pope Francis praised Benedict XVI. The Pope unveiled a bronze bust of Benedict XVI in the Vatican Gardens at the academy’s headquarters.
The Pope said, “No one could ever say of him that study and science made him and his love for God and his neighbor, wither.”
He also added, “On the contrary, knowledge, wisdom and prayer enlarged his heart and his spirit. Let us thank God for the gift that he gave the church and the world with the existence and the pontificate of Pope Benedict.”
