Catholics and Evolution

"Catechesis on creation is of major importance. It concerns the very foundation of human nature and Christian life: for it makes explicit the response of the Christian faith to the basic question that men of all time have asked themselves: 'Where do we come from?' 'Where are we going?' 'What is our origin?' 'What is our end?' 'Where does everything that exists come from and where is it going?' The two questions, the first about the origin and the second about the end, are inseparable. They are decisive for the meaning and orientation of our life and actions." (CCC 282)

We must first establish the fact that the theory of evolution is just that -- an unproven theory; an assumption based on limited knowledge. It is not and cannot be an experimental science. "It is essentially a theory based upon a group of hypotheses which are in harmony with one another, and affords [in the mind of some scientists] the most probable explanation of the origin of organic species." (Wasmann, The Problem of Evolution) But to say that man evolved from lower life forms is pure conjecture, with no real evidence in its favor. Many prominent scientists insist that it is no more than a probable guess.

Belief in man's bodily evolution is not unreasonable, and is not incompatible with Catholic dogma. However, we cannot admit any form of the evolutionary theory which excludes God, or which denies dependence on God. The Church teaches that the world and all of its creatures are created by God; God is the Author of nature. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "... methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God." (CCC 159) If man or, for that matter, any creature has evolved in order to adapt to a changing environment and circumstances, God's wisdom and power are manifested even more clearly. "... These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give Him thanks for all His works and for the understanding and wisdom He gives to scholars and researchers." (CCC 283)

Catholics are free to accept the theory of evolution, if they wish. In his encyclical Humani generis in 1950, Pope Pius XII acknowledged that biological evolution was compatible with the faith, while maintaining the necessity of God's intervention for the creation of the soul. The Bible was never intended to be a textbook of science. Pope Leo XIII wrote in his encyclical Providentissimus Deus, "The sacred writers did not intend to teach men these things, that is to say, the essential nature of the things of the visible universe, things in no way profitable for salvation. Hence they did not seek to penetrate the secrets of nature, but rather described and dealt with things in more or less figurative language, or in terms which were commonly used at the time, and which in many instances are in daily use to this day, even by the most eminent men of science." The Biblical account of Creation was written for men of every age, unchanging in the face of the changing views of empirical science.

The most important aspect of the Church's view of evolution is that of the human soul. If evolution were to ever be proven a fact, we must believe that only the body evolved -- with God's help -- but not the human soul. The soul cannot evolve, since each soul is individually created by God. The soul is a spiritual being and can therefore only come into existence by creation. "The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God -- it is not 'produced' by parents -- and also that it is immortal..." (CCC 366)

While the Church has not defined as an article of faith that we must believe that God immediately formed the body of the first man, the whole tenor of Biblical teaching is in favor of immediate creation. As for the theory that man is evolved from lower life forms, although never condemned by Rome, it seems to be contrary to the general mind of the Church. Pope John Paul II has firmly stated that if we are to ever accept the theory of evolution, that belief cannot conflict with the facts that; 1) evolution has only come about because God so willed it, and 2) that the human soul has not evolved, but is immediately created by God at the moment of conception.