Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Holy See to UN: Share the riches of outer space

Holy See to UN: Share the riches of outer space

Last updated on: October 23, 2014 at 12:01 am by CNA Daily News

Holy See to UN: Share the riches of outer space 2014-10-23T00:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

New York City, N.Y., Oct 22, 2014 / 06:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The exploration of outer space can deepen our faith in God and our understanding of the world, and its benefits should be shared with all.

This was the message of Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, at the Special Political and Decolonization Committee on Oct. 17.

“Since the earliest days of human history, humanity has looked to the sky with wonder, longing to understand celestial realities and their meaning in relation to humanity itself,” Archbishop Auza said.

“The Holy See believes that faith is capable of both expanding and enriching the horizons of reason; thus, it rejoices in the marvelous progress of science, seeing it both as a product of the enormous God-given potential of the human mind and as manifestation of the vastness and richness of creation.”

St. John Paul II had written in his encyclical Fides et Ratio — on the relationship between faith and reason — about how the two are complementary, and both help lead man to God.

“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves,” the late Roman Pontiff wrote.

In Archbishop Auza’s address, after discussing the relation between faith and reason, he stressed the need to share the economic and scientific benefits of space exploration to benefit the poor around the world, and not just the elite nations which invest in outer space projects.

An important part of sharing the good of this resource, the archbishop continued, is the commitment to the peaceful use of outer space.

“To this end, the ongoing discussion on the development of an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities represents a positive step toward furthering a fairer and safer use of outer space,” he said. “It would undoubtedly help toward preventing an arms race in outer space and, consequently, toward averting a new, grave threat to international peace and security.”

The information that satellites can provide, including monitoring the state of various environments, tracking water cycles and other atmospheric conditions, should be put to use for the benefit of all.

“If we do not work together, there will be no winners, only losers,” the archbishop said.
Furthermore, satellites can help spread information even to the “far-flung areas” of the earth, and can help decrease illiteracy throughout the world, though the power of sharing information should not be abused either.

“However, care must be taken that this outer space technology does not become an instrument of dominion and a vehicle to impose certain cultures and values on others.”

Finally, Archbishop Auza asked that the environment of outer space be preserved for the benefit of future generations as well.

“It is the Holy See’s belief that we are only its temporary stewards, with the unwritten but morally compelling responsibility to preserve it for future generations.”

This is not the first time someone in a Church leadership position has spoken about the intergalactic realm. In a homily in May, Pope Francis considered what would happen if aliens ever came to the Vatican, and whether or not they should be baptized.

“Who are we to close doors?” Pope Francis said.

No matter how unpredictable or impossible the workings of the Holy Spirit might seem, the Pope said, the Catholic Church is one of “open doors.”

“When the Lord shows us the way, who are we to say, ‘No, Lord, it is not prudent! No, let's do it this way’. Who are we to close doors?”

The Pope was connecting the hypothetical situation to the reading of the day, in which the early Christians who had been Jews were hesitant to present the Gospel to those who were Gentiles and therefore previously considered “unclean.”

In 2010, one of Benedict XVI's astronomers, Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., said an alien could be baptized if it were determined to have intelligence, free will, freedom to love and to make decisions, which characterize beings with eternal, personal souls.

"But the odds of us finding it, of it being intelligent and us being able to communicate with it – when you add them up it's probably not a practical question," Br. Consolmagno told The Guardian.

Would he ever baptize an alien?

"Only if they asked."

Previous Post

October 22, 2014

Hundreds flock to US shrine to celebrate first feast of St John Paul II

Next Post

October 23, 2014 Singing nun's Madonna cover: not like a prayer

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Bathsheba's husband, sent to the front lines by David?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abner Uriah the Hittite Joab Absalom