NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — In recent months, the topic of UFOs, or as they are now commonly called, UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), has taken center stage in public discourse.
After former intelligence official David Grush testified before Congress that the government had discovered crashed UFOs and attempted to recycle their alien technology, questions about extraterrestrial intelligence have returned to the fore.
For Catholics, this debate is not new, since the issue of the compatibility of non-human intelligence and church doctrine has been debated for several centuries.
Ancient Roots: Angels and Mythical Creatures
According to the director of the Vatican Space Observatory, Jesuit brother Guy Consolmagno, the debate about non-human intelligence predates the advent of Christianity.
He explains that references to “angels in the Bible or these crazy creatures in Greek mythology” have long been part of human history. This suggests that the existence of otherworldly beings is not a new concept.
Expanding Perspectives: Implications for Theology
If speculation about the existence of microbial life in distant galaxies is the subject of scientific research, then claims related to UFOs and their mysterious pilots are more specific and influential.
Brenda Dentzler, author of The Lure of the Edge, which examines the potential impact of UFOs on religious belief, argues that confirming the existence of extraterrestrial life will require changes in Christian theology.
Questions will need to be considered about the extent of Christ’s atonement and the consequences for intelligent beings throughout the universe. Dentzler suggests that theological discussions on these topics will be inevitable if concrete evidence of the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life emerges.
Reassuring Believers
Paul Thigpen, author of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith, tried to answer questions from Catholics who might be concerned about the prospect of discovering life on other planets. Thigpen believes that David Grush’s claims are credible and wrote his book as a proactive response to possible challenges to the Catholic faith.
The book collects statements from prominent Catholics throughout human history, including St. John Paul II, who suggested that intelligent life could exist in other parts of the universe. Thigpen’s book also includes an appendix specifically dedicated to UFOs.
Strengthening Faith: UFOs and the Supernatural
For some Catholics, reports of UFOs and stories of miracles happening to saints strengthen their belief in the supernatural. Diana Walsh Pasulka, a professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has shifted the focus of her research from Marian apparitions and visions of saints to UFOs because of the striking similarities between the two phenomena.
She talks about cases where nuns saw orbs enter their cells, which they interpreted as souls from purgatory visiting them. Pasulka also notes historical evidence of flying houses and other aerial phenomena in the context of church history.
The debate around UFOs and extraterrestrial life has captured not only the scientific community, but also religious circles, including the Catholic Church. Although the existence of non-human intelligence has long been part of human mythology and religious belief, specific claims about UFOs and their pilots raise theological questions that require careful consideration.
Catholics hold different points of view on this issue: some advocate a broader understanding of God’s creation, others find it to support their belief in the supernatural. As UFO research continues, it is likely that these discussions will continue in religious communities.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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