Fr Ennio Mantovani SVD 23 In his address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on 22 Nov 1951, titled “The Proofs for the Existence of God in the Light of Modern natural Science,” Pius XII enters directly into the Big Bang Theory: “It would seem that present-day science, with one sweeping step back across millions of centuries, has succeeded in bearing witness to that primordial Fiat lux (Let there be light) uttered at the moment when, along with matter, there burst forth from nothing a sea of light and radiation, while the particles of chemical elements split and formed into millions of galaxies.” (no. 43). At the same time in no. 45 he cautions that these findings need further proof and so should not be given any absolute value. Coming to the question of the origin of matter, or the pre-Big Bang stage, he says: “In vain would we seek an answer in natural science which declares honestly that it finds itself face to face with an insoluble enigma. It is true that such a question would demand too much of natural science as such. But it is also certain that the human mind trained in philosophical meditation penetrates more deeply into this problem” (no. 43). According to the Pope, the upshot of all these developments is that it has strengthened the evidence for the existence of God. “By means of exact and detailed research- into the macrocosm and the microcosm, it (modern science) has considerably broadened and deepened the empirical foundation on which this argument rests, and from which it concludes to the existence of an ‘Ens a se’ (Being itself),” immutable by His very nature (no. 49). The Pope ends his address with the words: “Thus, with that concreteness which is characteristic of physical proofs, it has confirmed the contingency of the universe and also the well-founded deduction as to the epoch when the cosmos came forth from the hands of the Creator. Hence, creation took place in time. Therefore, there is a Creator. Therefore, God exists! (nos. 50-51).” However, Lemaitre was far from sharing this enthusiasm of the Pope, and remained disapprovingly cautious. He summarized his response: “As far as I can see, such a theory remains entirely outside any metaphysical or religious question. It leaves the materialist free to deny any transcendental Being... For the believer, it removes any attempt at familiarity with God.” It may be noted that this was in 1951 when the Big Bang was still waiting for solid confirming empirical evidence, and its archrival, the Steady-State Theory, was in its heyday with many heavy-weights in the world of science passionately endorsing it. However, since then the Big Bang has been receiving stronger, more refined and more accurate empirical support. Also, the aggressive antagonistic stand many scientists used to take towards religion, particularly with regard to any rapprochement between science and religion, has also been in some ways giving way to one of rather constructive dialogue. I wonder what the reaction of Lemaitre would be if he were to be with us today! E. Critique of the Theory of Evolution 1. Positive Support As has already been mentioned, Evolution has become a scientific fact today. More and more empirical data confirms this as a viable, productive scientific theory. Not only developments in its own specific area, those in related fields like cytology, morphology, ecology, etc, also have been providing supporting evidence for this theory. Today Evolution is not limited to the biological world only; rather it has been extended to many other fields as well. Even a powerful world view has emerged, inspired and supported by this theory. It seems that the evolutionary mode of development is fast becoming the universal mode of development. “It would seem that present-day science, with one sweeping step back across millions of centuries, has succeeded in bearing witness to that primordial Fiat lux (Let there be light) uttered at the moment when, along with matter, there burst forth from nothing a sea of light and radiation, while the particles of chemical elements split and formed into millions of galaxies.” Pope Pius XII
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