The theory of evolution, which accounts for Biology’s core theme, is simple, elegant and pretty straightforward. Although it has been accepted as fact for over 150 years by most biologists all over the world, there’s still a lot of misconceptions and controversies surrounding the subject. Many of its controversies have to do with the conflicts that might arise with religion and faith. It should not be this way. The theory of evolution has been accepted major religious institutions, such as the Catholic Church. In fact, modern conceptions regarding the theory of evolution owe a lot to Gregor Mendel: Agustinian monk and considered the father of genetics (genetics being another crucial theme in Biology). And Charles Darwin himself aspired to become a clergyman for the Anglican church.
The following excerpts show modern views regarding the theory of evolution by the Catholic Church; from Pope Pius XII to Pope Francis:
“…the Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God. However this must be done in such a way that the reasons for both opinions, that is, those favorable and those unfavorable to evolution, be weighed and judged with the necessary seriousness, moderation and measure, and provided that all are prepared to submit to the judgment of the Church, to whom Christ has given the mission of interpreting authentically the Sacred Scriptures and of defending the dogmas of faithful. Some however rashly transgress this liberty of discussion, when they act as if the origin of the human body from pre-existing and living matter were already completely certain and proved by the facts which have been discovered up to now and by reasoning on those facts, and as if there were nothing in the sources of divine revelation which demands the greatest moderation and caution in this question.”
Pope John Paul II held similar views as Pius XII, but a little more evolved:
“In his encyclical Humani Generis (1950), my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation, provided that we do not lose sight of certain fixed points…. Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis. In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies—which was neither planned nor sought—constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.”
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his views about evolution and the Big Bang Theory:
According to the widely accepted scientific account, the universe erupted 15 billion years ago in an explosion called the ‘Big Bang‘ and has been expanding and cooling ever since. Later there gradually emerged the conditions necessary for the formation of atoms, still later the condensation of galaxies and stars, and about 10 billion years later the formation of planets. In our own solar system and on earth (formed about 4.5 billion years ago), the conditions have been favorable to the emergence of life. While there is little consensus among scientists about how the origin of this first microscopic life is to be explained, there is general agreement among them that the first organism dwelt on this planet about 3.5–4 billion years ago. Since it has been demonstrated that all living organisms on earth are genetically related, it is virtually certain that all living organisms have descended from this first organism. Converging evidence from many studies in the physical and biological sciences furnishes mounting support for some theory of evolution to account for the development and diversification of life on earth, while controversy continues over the pace and mechanisms of evolution.
The current pope, Francis, holds the Catholic stance on evolution; which has gradually evolved–pun intended—over the last 60 years. For more information regarding the Catholic Church and the theory of evolution, click on the following links: here, here and here.