So does the Pope believe in evolution or just advocate it?

Question

I know he does advocate it or at least, he says it doesn't go against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Answer 1

I haven't heard this. However, "believing in" is a lower threshold than "advocating" so the "just" in the question seems misplaced.

Everything in the Bible is the same order as evolution, so there is no need to see a conflict unless you insist on the six days of creation being literal. Also, evolution only claims to explain how simple life becomes complex, but it does not claim to explain the existence of life - therefore it is not an alternative to a creation theory in any case.

Answer 2

Wikipedia

Answer 3

Pope John Paul II did recognize evolutionary theory as an acceptable theory and would not argue against it. Darwinian theory, he said in 1995 (??), is itself “entirely outside of any metaphysical or religious question.”
His basic point (grossly summarized) was that Christian theology asserts that God is a creator independent of his creations, unbound by space and time. From that infinite perspective, the difference between chance and design disappears; a metaphysical asymptote. Does it compromise faith to believe that the Genesis account provides a metaphorical description of how God created the universe? Even if such an interpretation is incorrect, the point is miniscule in the defense of Christianity, and putting such emphasis on it harms the apologetic. The religious need to rely on faith, rather than to look for “mysteries” to confirm the existence of God.
This is why the Catholic Church can confidently believe that God created humans, and at the same time accept the overwhelming scientific evidence in favor of common evolutionary ancestry of life on earth.
That said, I am fairly certain that there are a number of priests at the Vatican that would argue that JP II was incorrect. And it would seem that the new Pope is less open to this way of looking at the world.

Answer 4

Yes the Pope believes in evolution. The Vatican has approved of evolution since Pope Pius XII stated in 1950, "that Catholics may entertain the evolution of the human body, so long as they accept the divine Creation and infusion of the soul."

Later in 1996, Pope John Paul II said the church accepts evolution as a theory well-supported by research in a variety of scientific fields and stated that evolution is, "more than just a hypothesis.''

Answer 5

The Pope, and all Christians believe that God created man.

Answer 6

i sorta doubt the pope truly believes in evolution

Answer 7

--is Catholic--

It is not against Christianity to agree with certain theories of evolution. There are several theories to evolution. Some are compatible with Christianity, some are not. Belief in anyone of them, even if a wrong one, is not serious enough to get you damned (unless it causes you to act in certain ways that are contrary to the Christian life.) Remember belief is only part of salvation, you have to do something with your belief.

There are several theories to evolution. Some are compatible with Christianity, some are not. Belief in anyone of them, even if a wrong one, is not serious enough to get you damned (unless it causes you to act in certain ways that are contrary to the Christian life.) Remember belief is only part of salvation, you have to do something with your belief.

As a note: If you read Genesis Ch 1 in Hebrew you will notice that the verb that is used for "God created..." switches back and forth from having God as its exclusive object to being a more open ended. The verb that means "God personally did the creating" is applied at the beginning of creation and at the creation of man. The other verbs are along the lines of "called forth from" an indication that while God willed certain creation to be so, it was the process of creation (ie evolution) that actually formed that which was created.

Also you should know that certain theories of evolution have a long and strong history within Catholicism. Look up the Monk Gregory Mendel and his studies on genetics. Also you should be aware that Catholics had an idea of evolution millennia before Darwin.

Let me quote at length from FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHOLIC DOGMA

1. The materialist doctrine of evolution...is contrary to Revelation.

2. The doctrine of evolution based on the theistic conception of the world, which traces matter and life to God's causality and assumes that organic being, developed from originally created seed-powers (St. Augustine) or from stem forms (doctrine of descent), according to God's plan, is compatible with the doctrine of Revelation. However, as regards to MAN, a special creation by God is demanded, which must extend at least to the spiritual soul. Individual Fathers, especially St. Augustine, accepted a certain development of living creatures. Proceeding from the assumption that God creates everything at one time (cf. Ecclus. 18.1), they taught that God brought a certain part of His creation into existence in a finished state, while He created others in the form of primitive seeds (rationes, seminales, or causales) from which they were gradually to develop. Those Fathers and Schoolmen who accepted a development, conceived a development of the individual species of living things each from a particular primitive form created by God; but modern theories of evolution (descendent theory) conceives that development as from one species to another. According as these give priority to evolution from a plurality of original forms or from one single stem-form (primitive form) one speaks of a many-stemmed (polyphyletic) or single-stemmed (monophyletic) development. From the stand point of the doctrine of evolution, either form is possible. From the standpoint of natural science, F. Birkner says "A single-stemmed monophyletic development of living beings is to be rejected as the transitions from one group to the other are missing. Everything seems to favour a many -stemmed polyphyletic development. Unfortunately, up to the present it has not been possible to determine how many primitive forms or basic organizations of living beings existed."

Answer 8

That's like asking if you've stopped f*cking your mom.

(Have you, by the way?)

Answer 9

Go and ask him directly, satan.

Answer 10

Hopefully, neither...!