It's nice to see that I wasn't the only one celebrating Charles Darwin's birthday last month. On a typical Italian time schedule the Vatican celebrated last week with a scientific conference at the Gregorian University.
Noticeably absent from the discussion (and apparently feeling excluded) were proponents of intelligent design and creationism. Even though some thought, mistakenly, that the Vatican was a place where they would be warmly welcomed:
Noticeably absent from the discussion (and apparently feeling excluded) were proponents of intelligent design and creationism. Even though some thought, mistakenly, that the Vatican was a place where they would be warmly welcomed:
Organizers of the five-day conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University said Thursday that they barred intelligent design proponents because they wanted an intellectually rigorous conference on science, theology and philosophy to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species."
While there are some Darwinian dissenters present, intelligent design didn't fit the bill, they said.
"We think that it's not a scientific perspective, nor a theological or philosophical one," said the Rev. Marc Leclerc, the conference director and a professor of philosophy of nature at the Gregorian.
One of those attending and commenting on the conference was Cardinal William Levada, an American who holds Pope Benedict's previous post of head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Since Doctrine of the Faith was previously known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition, continuing to hold onto intelligent design could be dangerous. We all know how the Inquisition used to treat those who disagree with them:
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