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On May 13, 2008 The anniversary of the
Madonna of Fatima, Father Gabriel Funes, a
Jesuit priest who directs the Vatican's
observatory at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome
declared that “As an astronomer, I continue
to believe that God is the creator of the
Universe. The search for extraterrestrial
life does not contradict belief in God.” He
added that some aliens might even be
innocent of the original sin. “How can we
rule out that life may have developed
elsewhere?” Funes said. “Just as we consider
earthly creatures as a ‘brother’ and a ‘sister,'
why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial
brother?' It would still be part of creation.”
When Funes calls the Extraterrestrial “our
brother or sister,” we are involved in some
revolutionary thinking. That statement goes
beyond saying that we are not alone in the
Universe.
To make this statement even more important,
the newspaper Il Osservatore Romano released
the interview. The newspaper Il Osservatore
Romano is the official mouthpiece of the
Vatican. In the article, Funes stated, “Even
if we don't currently have any proof, the
hypothesis of extraterrestrial life cannot
be ruled out. Just as there are a plethora
of creatures on Earth, there could be others,
equally intelligent, created by God,” he
said.
It is with this statement that he echoes the
words of Monsignor Corrado Balducci, my
friend and UFO researcher many years in the
field. We researchers know Balducci as the
“unofficial” voice of the Vatican. At many
UFO Conferences in Italy, Monsignore
Balducci, once Vatican Nuncio to Washington
DC, often echoed Father Funes when he said
in Public “All is possible.” “God created us
to give praise to Him, as I imagine he
created others species to do the same. How
can God be glorified without a varied
creation?”
When I was living and working in Italy for
the past fifteen years, I lived very close
to the Vatican. I would dine often with
Monsignor Corrado Balducci who was also an
expert Demonologist, at his home near Via
Anastasio II. He wanted to be the priest to
open the door to this study of Ufology and
he told me that since no one has ever
hindered him, it serves as a silent approval.
I believe that now the approval is not so
silent with the Vatican proclamation of
Father Funes!
Balducci and I both would share information
and often I would ask him if he thought that
there were aliens who were demons. He would
tell me, “The devil does not need UFOs.” He
believed that over the last 150 years, this
phenomenon has appeared sequentially and
with an increasing spreading and frequency
rate. He wanted to make it clear that
Spiritualism or the paranormal and Ufology
are two different types of manifestations.
He was very adamant that on the evolutionary
scale there is something between the angels
and us and they could be ETS. Essentially
we were at the bottom of the evolutionary
ladder because we know the difference
between good and evil, and often choose evil.
It is obvious that in the Future, the
Catholic Church and the Pope will have a
difficult time incorporating this belief in
official dogma. Maintaining official
Catholic doctrine may be impossible in this
disclosure process because, as yet, it is
all unmapped territory.
Unlike Father Funes who says that humans are
the only ones possibly with original sin and
therefore Jesus did not need to die for the
sins of others in the Cosmos, Monsignor
Balducci in 2004 said that Jesus did. He
said, “Yes, of course. Jesus died for all
beings in the cosmos. In the sacred
Scriptures, He is called King of the
Universe at least sixty-six times.” Balducci
adds, “never underestimate the great mercy
or compassion of God, whose grace and
compassion surpasses all, and that means it
relates to all of creation in all the
cosmos.”
In his interview, Father Funes however,
claims that original sin, which by Christian
tradition occurred in the Garden of Eden
when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of
a particular tree, refers to the fallen
state from which humans can be saved only by
God's grace. Asked about the difficult
theological question, Father Funes answered,
“If other intelligent beings exist, it's not
certain that they need redemption. They
could have remained in full friendship with
their ‘creator’ without committing the
original sin,” he said. “If not,
extraterrestrials would benefit equally from
the 'incarnation,' in which Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, assumed earthlings' flesh,
body and soul in order to redeem them,”
which Father Funes called “a unique event
that cannot be repeated.” This is
revolutionary considering that the Catholic
Church has avoided the UFOs subject for
centuries although UFOs are clearly depicted
in Renaissance art. The blessed are usually
followed by beams or balls of light in great
works of art.
1. Fra Phillio Lippi
(The Annunciation of St Emidus by Carlos
Crivelli-1486)
Something has changed with the Vatican when
--- Pope Benedict XVI named a new director
for the Vatican Observatory. Father José
Gabriel Funes will succeed a controversial
American, Father George Coyne. Father Funes,
an Argentine Jesuit, is already a member of
the Vatican Observatory team. The outgoing
Father Coyne, also a Jesuit, has been
director of the Observatory, which includes
the observatory on Mt. Graham, Arizona for
more than 25 years, and now steps down at
the age of 73. Last year Father Coyne drew
worldwide attention for his public comments
on the topics of evolution and the theory of
intelligent design. In an August 2005 column
for the London Tablet, the Jesuit astronomer
criticizes arguments put forward by Cardinal
Christopher Schönborn, questioning the
Darwinian theory of evolution. A few weeks
later, speaking at a conference in Florida,
Father Coyne said, “Intelligent design isn't
science, even if it pretends to be.”
Pope Leo XIII established the Vatican
Observatory in 1891 to advance astronomical
knowledge and to demonstrate the Church's
support for the physical sciences.
Originally it was located at Castel
Gandolfo, near the Pope's summer residence.
In 1981, because of the smog that obscures
viewing of the sky near Rome, the main
observatory was moved to Arizona, and Father
Funes was spending most of his time there.
Now observatory scientists can get down to
business and study all the scientific
evidence on origins of life and the universe
and not just try and force fit the Catholic
faith into the myth of evolution.
'Intelligent Design' and the 'Abrupt
Appearance' will now be discussed along with
evidences that show that life just hasn't
been on Earth very long.
The scientific community and the church have
split more than four centuries ago in the
outcome of Galileo's persecution, who said
that neither the Earth nor the Sun were
situated in the center of the universe. In
1633, he was tried for heretic beliefs and
forced to deny his theory.
“The church has somehow recognized its
mistakes. Maybe it could have done it
better, but now it's time to heal those
wounds and this can be done through calm
dialogue and collaboration.” said Funes. The
beginning of the reconciliation between
church and science began in 1992 with Pope
John Paul's declaration saying that
Galileo's trial was a “tragic mutual
incomprehension.”
Since then the Vatican Observatory has been
frantically trying to close the gap between
science and religion. Its meteorite
collection is currently one of the largest
on Earth. The observatory was opened in 1891
by Pope Leo XIII and is located in Castel
Gandolfo. In addition, the team of cleric
researchers often participates in studies
held at the observatory at the University of
Arizona. The Mt. Graham Vatican Observatory
site holds a special place. It is the home
of the southernmost extension of many
species as well as being, simultaneously,
the location of the northernmost extension
of others. The Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert
populations also meet in this vicinity. Thus
it was critical to assess the impact of the
observatory presence upon the species
represented on the top of Mt. Graham,
especially those listed as endangered or
threatened. There is another issue which has
come to the fore more recently than the
environmental issues. This is the issue of
the religious significance of Mt. Graham to
the Apache tribe, specifically those living
on the San Carlos Reservation. The question
is, “Are the Jesuits then looking for ET?”
Given what has been occurring with two major
Vatican observatories and an avant guard
astronomer priest, we need only add that it
is it's OK to believe in aliens and we can
see a revolutionary change in policy.
However, Monsignor Balducci has been
studying UFOs for Years. He has met most of
the important American researchers, such as
Dr. Steven Greer and Dr. John Mack, Whitely
Strieber and Dr. Richard Haines. He also had
several meeting with Mexico’s own Jaime
Maussan who saw him in Rome and filmed him
in Washington DC when Balducci gave
permission to all the Spanish world to
embrace the extraterrestrial reality because
it does not conflict with the Catholic
religion. I accompanied him to Washington DC
to Steven Basset’s X-Conference from Rome to
receive a special award for courage. In
this timeline, Padre Balducci precedes
Father Funes, Vatican astronomer who in
reality verifies Balducci’s own claims.
UFOs fascinate Monsignore Balducci and he
approaches the topic voluntarily even with
strangers. He says, “We should believe
contactees and witnesses who say they see
UFOS because it is based on human testimony,
as are our Gospels. Since a great deal of
the Catholic faith is based on witness
testimony, we must realize how important
human testimony is. It would be a tragedy if
we began to be suspicious of all people who
report that they experienced something
unusual like seeing crafts in the sky.” He
adds, “What I understand, there are some
very credible witnesses who have seen this
phenomenon and have come forward. They are
courageous and should not be dismissed. Many
church fathers have addressed the
extraterrestrial presence in early
philosophical works. In fact, testimony is a
form of communication of our faith. Imagine
what could happen to individual and social
life if the value of human testimony were
diminished, an act which would logically
cause the decrease and disappearance of our
faith, which is essential for daily life!”
Monsignore Balducci also adds, “I think that
we need to examine it, then formulate
‘theological and Biblical considerations’ on
the habitability of other planets. First of
all, there is a clarification: We should
exclude that angels use spaceships, because
they are merely spiritual beings. They are
wherever they want to be, and in the rare
cases when they show themselves, they have
no difficulty in assuming a visible form. We
can say the very same thing about dead
people. The Holy Virgin, in the very few
cases when she seems to contact humans (very
exceptional episodes and to be confirmed in
their authenticity), continues to choose
other, very different ways to transmit to us
her maternal affection, her urgencies, her
maternal claims or her sweet reproaches. We
need to separate these realities.”
When I asked Monsignor Balducci how he
reached these conclusions? He answered, “My
conclusions come from my research in
parapsychology and demonology. There are
human testimonies concerning the UFO
phenomenon — in particular the abduction
phenomenon — which are essential to
historical truth and must be considered
seriously. These things cannot be attributed
to the “devil.” He does not need UFOs. This
has nothing to do with the Devil. These
important UFO sightings by credible people
must be taken into account because there are
so many witnesses. It is as important as
scientific research is! If we live in
constant skepticism, we will destroy society
and our dignity as human beings. We will
believe no one. Catholicism, which is
partially based on human testimony;
primarily letters of followers of Jesus
(Apologists), who explained the religious
phenomena of Jesus and the resurrection and
presented a certain truth. The church has
based many of its doctrines on this human
testimony. The Existence of UFOs is not
contrary to one’s faith or Catholic Church
doctrine. The acronym UFO (Unidentified
Flying Object) is used here in a wider sense
to include the existence of living beings on
other planets. The aim of my intervention
and speaking out is to underline that
something real must exist in the phenomena,
and that this does not conflict at all with
Christian religion, and is considered
positive, even among theologians. First,
Something real must exist. Secondly, I have
made some theological considerations on the
habitability of other planets. Thirdly, much
witness testimony favors it. Conclusion:
Something real must exist. These ideas are
mine, and I do not represent the Vatican.
However, I am told that the Holy Father Pope
John Paul II has seen me on Italian TV
several times and follows my radio homilies.
If there were some objection, I’m sure I
would know. I have much research in this
topic. I believe there to be no problem
here. I heard that Padre Pio said something
of this nature. Don Andrea Beltrami
(1870-1897), the Salesian Father and servant
of God, prayed also for the possible
inhabitants of other planets. Of the 16
booklets he wrote, one seems to deal with
this topic. The second is the recently
sanctified Padre Pio, who was beatified by
Pope John Paul II on May 2, 1999, and
canonized on June 16, 2002.”
Padre Pio was asked the following question:
“Father, some claim that there are creatures
of God on other planets, too.” He replied,
“What else? Do you think they don’t exist,
and that God’s omnipotence is limited to
this small planet Earth? What else? Do you
think there are no other beings who love the
Lord?”
Another time someone asked him, “Father Pio,
I think the Earth is nothing, compared to
other planets and stars.” His answer:
“Exactly! Yes, and we Earthlings are
nothing, too. The Lord certainly did not
limit His glory to this small Earth. On
other planets other beings exist who did not
sin and fall as we did.”
In the May interview done by the Vatican
newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes adds,
“Such a notion 'doesn't contradict our
faith' because aliens would still be God's
creatures. Ruling out the existence of
aliens would be like 'putting limits' on
God's creative freedom.”
So, both Monsignore Balducci and Father
Funes are in agreement here. They know a
phenomenon exists, and although we don’t
know who these aliens are, it is possible
that they are more evolved than Man is
today. Perhaps we can learn from them.
Paola Leopizzi Harris
July 20, 2008
Boulder, Colorado
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