Series of conferences by Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn titled “Creation and Evolution”

Oct 4, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Vienna Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn made new comments on the on-going debate on evolution vs. intelligent design, saying both were complementary:

He presented his views on Sunday, in the first conference of what is to become a nine-month cycle of lectures, with the title “Creation and Evolution.”  Each lecture will take place at the Vienna Cathedral.

He stressed  the absolute necessity to respect the line drawn between Science and Religion. Cardinal Schoenborn said he could believe both in divine creation and in evolution because one was a question of religion and the other of science, two realms that complimented rather than contradicted each other.

"Without a doubt, Darwin pulled off quite a feat with his main work and it remains one of the very great works of intellectual history," Schoenborn declared in a lecture in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on Sunday.

"I see no problem combining belief in the Creator with the theory of evolution, under one condition -- that the limits of a scientific theory are respected," he said.

Science studies what is observable and scientists overstep the boundaries of their discipline when they conclude evolution proves there was no creator, said the cardinal, 60, a top Church doctrinal expert and close associate of Pope Benedict.

"It is fully reasonable to assume some sense or design even if the scientific method demands restrictions that shut out this question," said the cardinal.

In his lecture, Schoenborn said his article had led to misunderstandings and sometimes polemics. "Maybe one did not express oneself clearly enough or thoughts were not clear enough," he said. "Such misunderstandings can be cleared up."

Schoenborn said he believed God created "the things of the world" but did not explain how a divine will to bring about mankind would have influenced its actual evolution.

The next lectures will take place on November 13, on the theme “in the beginning God created…”