Ethan Walker
The Catholic Church has never condemned the theory of evolution, and the majority of Catholic scientists, philosophers, and theologians have accepted the truth of biological evolution for many decades. While the Church does not forbid research and discussions on the doctrine of evolution, it draws a distinction between the evolution of the human body and the soul. Catholics are free to form their own opinions but are obliged to believe that the human soul is not a product of evolution but is instead created by God. This position was given official toleration in Pope Pius XII's 1950 encyclical Humani Generis, which stated that the evolution of human beings at the physical level is consistent with Catholic faith as long as the spiritual soul is understood to be conferred by God.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic Church's stance on evolution | The Catholic Church has never condemned the theory of evolution and does not forbid research and discussions on the doctrine of evolution. |
| Catholic Church's stance on creationism | The Catholic Church does not endorse Young Earth Creationism or intelligent design. |
| Catholic Church's stance on the origin of the human body | The Catholic Church allows for the possibility that the human body developed from pre-existing and living matter through some form of theistic evolution. |
| Catholic Church's stance on the human soul | Catholics must believe that the human soul is not the product of evolution but is created by God. |
| Catholic Church's stance on the compatibility of evolution and Catholic doctrine | The Catholic Church maintains that the Darwinian mechanism of evolution is compatible with the Catholic doctrine of divine Providence. |
| Catholic scholars' stance on evolution | The majority of Catholic scientists, philosophers, and theologians accept the truth of biological evolution. |
| Catholic Church's official teaching on evolution | The Catholic Church has made no official endorsement of evolution, but Pope Pius XII's 1950 encyclical letter provided official toleration for the theory. |
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What You'll Learn
Catholics are free to form their own opinions on evolution
The Catholic Church has never officially condemned the theory of evolution. In fact, many Catholic scientists, philosophers, and theologians have accepted the truth of biological evolution for many decades. The Church has also never forbidden research and discussions on the doctrine of evolution, as long as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter. This position was given official toleration in Pope Pius XII's 1950 "encyclical letter" Humani generis, which stated that Catholics are free to form their own opinions but must believe that humans have souls created immediately by God.
The Catholic Church's stance on evolution is that it is a legitimate matter of inquiry for natural science. Catholics are allowed to accept evolution as a scientific hypothesis or a philosophical speculation, as stated in the 1929 book on Catholicism, The Question Box. This book, published with the approval of Church authorities, described the basic idea of evolution and stated that it was in perfect agreement with the Christian conception of the universe. Similarly, the Catholic Encyclopedia, written in 1909 and approved by the Church, described the theory of evolution as a scientific hypothesis that does not contradict Catholic doctrine.
While Catholics are free to form their own opinions on evolution, they must be cautious and not confuse fact with conjecture. They must also respect the Church's right to define matters touching on Revelation. The Church's official teaching on evolution is that it does not contradict Catholic doctrine as long as it is understood that the human soul is created by God and not a product of evolution. This position is reiterated by Pope John Paul II, who stated that even if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God, creating an "ontological discontinuity" between humans and other animals.
The Catholic Church's position on evolution is that it is compatible with the Catholic doctrine of divine Providence, as argued in the document Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God. This document, approved for publication by Cardinal Ratzinger, stresses that the Darwinian mechanism of evolution does not contradict Catholic teachings. It is important to note that the Catholic Church does not endorse Young Earth Creationism or intelligent design. Instead, it defends theistic evolution, which reconciles science and religion.
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The Catholic Church has never condemned evolution
The Catholic Church has never condemned the theory of evolution. In fact, the Church has no quarrel with evolution. The Church does not forbid research and discussions on the doctrine of evolution, as long as it acknowledges that the human soul is created by God and not a product of evolution. This position was given official toleration in Pope Pius XII's 1950 "encyclical letter" Humani generis, the first pronouncement on evolution by the "universal magisterium" of the Catholic Church.
While the Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation, it does not allow belief in atheistic evolution. Catholics are free to form their own opinions, but they should do so cautiously, respecting the Church's right to define matters touching on Revelation. Pope John Paul II reiterated this, stating that even if the human body originates from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is created by God.
The Darwinian mechanism of evolution is compatible with the Catholic doctrine of divine Providence. The Catholic Church and its thinkers have never been anti-evolution. This can be seen in the old Catholic Encyclopedia, written in the first decade of the 20th century, which stated that the theory of evolution is "in perfect agreement with the Christian conception of the universe." St. John Henry Newman, a renowned 19th-century Catholic theologian, also wrote that he saw "nothing in the theory of evolution inconsistent with an Almighty Creator and Protector."
The controversy surrounding evolution touches on central Catholic beliefs about the world and humanity. While evolutionary theories provide insights into the origins of the universe, life, and humans, they do not answer all questions, especially philosophical ones about the nature of existence. Catholics typically take three positions on the origins of the cosmos, life, and humanity: special creation, developmental creation or theistic evolution, and atheistic evolution. Theistic evolution holds that biological evolution is guided by God's providence, fitting neatly into the Catholic understanding of contingent natural processes as part of God's plan.
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The human soul is not a product of evolution
The Catholic Church has never been anti-evolution, and the theory of evolution is compatible with Catholic doctrine. Catholics are free to form their own opinions, but they should respect the Church's right to define matters touching on Revelation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
> By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an 'outstanding manifestation of the divine image.' (CCC 1705)
Pope Pius XII declared that the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God. The Church teaches that the human soul is specially created, and it did not evolve. It is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are.
Pope John Paul II reiterated that if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God. Evolution is a theory of how atoms are assembled to form biological organisms, but humans are not just assemblages of atoms. We are also spiritual, with rational intellects and free will, which cannot be explained merely in terms of the motions of atoms.
Evolutionism endeavours to explain the origin of the soul from merely material forces, but this is not reconcilable with the Catholic doctrine of the soul's origin.
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Theistic evolution
The Catholic Church holds no official position on the theory of creation or evolution, leaving the specifics of either theistic evolution or literal creationism to the individual within certain parameters established by the Church. The Church has never condemned the idea of evolution, and Catholics are permitted—not forbidden—to believe in a form of evolution. The majority of Catholic theologians today accept what is called "theistic evolution", also known as evolutionary creation. Catholic schools teach evolution as part of their science curriculum.
The Catholic Church has historically been concerned with the implications of evolutionary theory for the origin of the human species. Even by 1859, a literal reading of the Book of Genesis had long been undermined by developments in geology and other fields. The publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859 further complicated the Catholic Church's stance on evolution. For nearly a century, the papacy offered no authoritative pronouncement on Darwin's theories. In 1950, Pope Pius XII confirmed that there is no intrinsic conflict between Christianity and the theory of evolution, provided that Christians believe that God created all things and that the individual soul is a direct creation by God and not the product of purely material forces.
Despite the Church's acceptance of theistic evolution, some Catholic theologians argue that evolution and Catholicism are not ultimately compatible. For example, the belief in theistic evolution may pose difficulties for the Catholic doctrine of the origin of the human body and the soul. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catholics may accept either literal or special creation within a twenty-four-hour period or believe that the earth evolved over time under God's guidance. However, Catholics must believe that humans have souls created immediately by God and not inherited from their parents.
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Catholic scientists' views on evolution
The Catholic Church has no official position on the theory of evolution or creationism, leaving the specifics to the individual within certain parameters. Catholics are allowed to accept either literal or special creation within a six-day, twenty-four-hour period, or they may accept that the earth evolved over time under God's guidance. The Church supports theistic evolution, or evolutionary creation, and Catholic schools teach evolution as part of their science curriculum.
The Catholic Church's stance on evolution has evolved over time. For almost a century after the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859, the papacy offered no official pronouncement on Darwin's theories. In the 1950 encyclical Humani generis, Pope Pius XII confirmed that there is no conflict between Christianity and the theory of evolution, provided that Christians believe that God created all things and that the individual soul is a direct creation by God.
In 2014, Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, stated that Darwinian evolution and the Big Bang theory are real. He clarified that God created human beings and let them develop according to internal laws, allowing for the possibility that the human body developed from previous species through some form of theistic evolution. However, he emphasized that the human soul is not the product of evolution but is specially created by God.
There have been several Catholic scientists who have contributed to the development of evolutionary theory. The Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel, often referred to as the "father of modern genetics," made early contributions to biology. Belgian geologist Jean-Baptiste d'Omalius d'Halloy, who studied under both the early evolutionist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the anti-evolutionist Georges Cuvier, is considered a pioneer of Catholic evolutionism. He rejected Cuvier's solution of successive catastrophes and new creations, instead proposing the idea of partial extinction followed by the immigration of new species. German Jesuit entomologist Erich Wasmann argued that his work on ants supported transformism or evolution, although he did not believe that all living things descended from a single first organism.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic Church has never condemned the theory of evolution. Pope Pius XII's 1950 "encyclical letter" Humani generis states that Catholics are free to form their own opinions and that the origin of man's body from pre-existing and living matter is a legitimate matter of inquiry for natural science. However, Catholics must believe that humans have souls created by God and not by physical causes alone.
People usually take three basic positions on the origins of the cosmos, life, and man: special or instantaneous creation, developmental creation or theistic evolution, and atheistic evolution. The Catholic Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation but does not allow atheistic evolution.
One objection to evolution is that it fails to distinguish between primary and secondary causality. Another objection is that evolutionary theories do not answer every query, especially the philosophical question of where everything comes from.
