BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION FACTS AND THEORIES

Newsletter N. 4 – 24th february 2009

Press Conference to present the International Conference

on Biological Evolution. Facts and Theories to be held from

3 to 7 March 2009 at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Marco Cardinali

The International Conference on “Biological Evolution, Facts and Theories”

is almost upon us and, in order to outline to the media the purpose and the goals targeted, another press conference was organised following the

initial presentation of the event. The press conference was held on Tuesday 10 February at the Vatican Press Office. The Director of the

Vatican Press Office, Fr. P. Federico Lombardi, SJ, coordinated the meeting and the replies to the many questions from the journalists in

attendance. He also stressed the importance of the event with regard to relations between science and faith. The speakers included: H.E. Mons. Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture and also President of the Committee of honour of the Conference; Fr. Marc

Leclerc, SJ, Professor of the Philosophy of Nature, Pontifical Gregorian University and Director of the Conference; Prof. Saverio Forestiero,

Professor of Zoology, University of Rome Tor Vergata and, member of the Organising Committee; and Prof. Giuseppe Tanzella Nitti, Professor of

Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

The first to speak was H.E. Mons. Gianfranco Ravasi who discussed the aim of the forthcoming conference, namely the need “to re-establish a

dialogue within differences”. He spoke of the transition from the theory of evolution to evolutionism, whereby “scientific theory has progressively

transformed itself into an ideological system interpreting the entirety of human reality” thus stepping beyond the bounds of its specific area of

competence. Evolution and creation do not stand in opposition but are two different angles from which to consider the same reality, which should

allow for a proper discussion and exchange between the idea of evolution which has become evolutionism and the idea of creation which has become creationism.

The next speaker was the Director of the Conference, Prof. Marc Leclerc, SJ, who began by explaining that the event does not intend to “celebrate

Darwin or even investigate him specifically, although it would be interesting”. The aim of the Conference is rather to undertake an in-depth

exploration of the various aspects of the theory of evolution, on the occasion of the Darwinian bicentennial, and to address the scientific,

philosophical and theological debate it has given rise to. He went on to state that the time has come “for a thorough, critical, rigorous and

objective assessment on all the levels involved”, and that “it seems more than ever necessary to enter into a scientific discussion with today's

leading specialists on the various scientific aspects of the theory of evolution, with all the additions, qualifications and constant changes it has experienced from Darwin's time onwards and which are still being made today”.

He was followed by Prof. Saverio Forestiero, Professor of Zoology,

University of Rome Tor Vergata and member of the Organising Committee. He referred to a clash inside our society between “knowledge and faith”.

Many secularists seem to be convinced that this is a necessary confrontation and should be intensified so as to stifle the practice of

religion in the private sphere and also in areas of public life which see the activity of religious institutes. As a “secularist non-believer”, as he defined himself, he accepted to be a part of the Conference because of “the need to ascertain scientifically and with critical awareness the state of current

bio-evolutionary knowledge”, independently of any consequences which believers, non-believers or people with different beliefs might feel this entails “with regard to ideals and everyday practical conduct”. He expressed the hope that the conference might be a valid and effective

instrument with which to address such an important and delicate subject matter in the best of ways.

The last speaker was Prof. Tanzella Nitti who spoke of the fact that in the “outlook of christian theology, biological evolution and creation are in no way mutually exclusive”. In his opinion, it is possible “to state – giving

evolution its broadest connotation, without reference to any specific evolutionary mechanism or mechanisms, but understood as a progressive

diversification, organisation and complexification of the morphology of living beings – that evolution is basically the way in which God creates”.

The fact that “the relationship between creation and evolution has already been acknowledged by theology, particularly inside the catholic tradition,

does not however mean that this is an issue which is without interest”. In fact, a proper and methodologically stringent debate can only help to clear the ground in the increasingly close and urgent debate between science and faith.

Change in the Conference Program

The last Conference session, scheduled on Saturday 7 March at 3 p.m., is anticipated at 9 a.m.

Therefore, the Conference will end in the morning.

Contacts: ufficiostampagregoriana@unigre.it