E-Mail ThisI have serious doubts about the wisdom of such a request. Sometimes it's best just to let Rome be silent about an issue rather than provoke what may be an unfortunate statement. An excellent example is the attempt by well meaning Anglo-Catholics (among others) in the late 19th century to get an official RC statement affirming the validity of Anglican orders. Even though the Roman attitude toward those orders had, since the Reformation, been generally negative, there had never been an official statement on the matter. The result of bringing the issue to a head was the dubious 1896 Apostolica Curae of Leo XIII that Anglican orders are "utterly invalid and altogether void," a statement that has burdened attempts for unity between the 2 communions ever since.
In the present situation we have significant but unofficial statements by John Paul II approving of evolution in a general sense, though with the usual Roman qualifications about the creation of the human soul. But to my knowledge there is no official Roman statement on the mechanism of evolution - Darwinian, neo-Darwinian, non-Darwinian or whatever. Requests for "clarification" of the Roman position could well result in statements that commit RC scientists to particular understandings of the way evolution works. This is especially the case if there is confusion (as there seems to be in the mind of Cardinal Schoenberg & certainly is for most ID partisans) about "direction" of the evolutionary process as a component of scientific theory and as a theological affirmation.
In addition there is in the background (as I noted a few days ago here) the decree of Vatican I making it de fide for RCs to affirm a natural knowledge of God apart from revelation. That would be best treated with benign neglect but I fear that in the hands of a conservative RC theologian like the present pope it won't be if the matter is forced upon him.
Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Schneider
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 10:05 AM
Subject: Fw: NYTimes.com: Questions for Pope on Evolution Stance
I hope that some other Catholic scientists, such as George Coyne, SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory, and William Stoeger, SJ, astrophysicist with the Observatory, and their colleagues, will address this matter with the pope.
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 8:56 AM
Subject: NYTimes.com: Questions for Pope on Evolution Stance
This page was sent to you by: rjschn39@bellsouth.net
NATIONAL | July 13, 2005
Questions for Pope on Evolution Stance
By CORNELIA DEAN
Three scientists have asked Pope Benedict XVI to clarify the church's position in light of recent statements by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.
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Received on Thu Jul 14 11:02:43 2005
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