A Vatican astronomer believes there is life elsewhere in the universe, but he says discovering this will neither prove nor disprove the existence of God.
Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who is the new president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, said news of such a discovery won’t come as a big surprise.
Br Consolmagno said he hopes the questions about life on other planets will focus more on how humanity sees itself.
“When we say human, human as compared to what?” he asked.
While the discovery of life elsewhere will neither prove nor disprove the existence of God, Br Consolmagno expects it will open the door to ponder what form salvation history may take in other intelligent societies.
He addresses such questions in a new book, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? . . . and Other Strange Questions From the Inbox at the Vatican Observatory”, set to be published in October.
He said there is no conflict between science and religion.