Giant Step Backwards

Although Mumon has already covered this, I have to point out that the Roman Catholic Church, which has long been regarded as an ally on the theory of evolution, has now stated that belief in evolution as accepted by science today may be incompatible with Catholic faith. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Vienna and the lead editor of the official 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, staked out his position in an Op-Ed article in The New York Times on Thursday, writing, "Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense - an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection - is not."

Scientists and science teachers have reacted to the editorial with confusion, dismay and even anger. Some said they feared the cardinal's sentiments would widen the growing chasm between scientific understanding and religious ideology, particularly in light of human genome research and advances in DNA study, and may cause some religious scientists to question their faith.

Darwinian evolution is the foundation of modern biology. While researchers may debate details of how the mechanism of evolution plays out, there is no credible scientific challenge to the underlying theory.

"Ever since 1996," Cardinal Schönborn wrote, "when Pope John Paul II said that evolution (a term he did not define) was 'more than just a hypothesis,' defenders of neo-Darwinian dogma have often invoked the supposed acceptance - or at least acquiescence - of the Roman Catholic Church when they defend their theory as somehow compatible with Christian faith." The reference is to widely cited remarks by Pope John Paul II in a 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences noting that the scientific case for evolution was growing stronger, and that the theory was "more than a hypothesis." Cardinal Schönborn dismissed Pope John Paul's 1996 comments as "rather vague and unimportant," and complained that he saw no one discussing 1985 comments of John Paul's, which Cardinal Schönborn interprets as supporting intelligent design.

Pope John Paul II's 1996 decree that evolution was more than just a theory drew a wide variety of comments from creationists, including:

Disappointment: "It's sad that the leader of a large denomination would say that," said Ken Ham, director of Answers in Genesis, an evangelical ministry.

Determination: "Doesn't matter," sniffed Bill Hoesch of the Institute for Creation Research. "Scientists will still admit - when you get them alone - that evolution is wrong."

And even good old-fashioned Diatribe: "Why blame it on God?" said Hendrik Hanegraaf, host of the radio talk show "Bible Answer Man." "Evolution is a series of painfully cruel, inefficient mutations."

The cardinal's essay was submitted to the Times by a Virginia public relations firm, Creative Response Concepts, which also represents Seattle's Discovery Institute. The Discovery Institute, one of the strongest advocates of teaching alternatives to evolution, promotes intelligent design, the idea that the variety and complexity of life on earth cannot be explained except through the intervention of a designer of some sort. Mark Ryland, a vice president of the institute, boasts that he had urged the cardinal to write the essay.