Pope declares Big Bang theory and God are not incompatible

The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand”, Pope Francis has declared.

Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator, “The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it.”

“Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve,” Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church has long had a reputation for being anti-science. But Pope Francis’s comments were more in keeping with the progressive work of Pope Pius XII, who opened the door to the idea of evolution and actively welcomed the Big Bang theory. In 1996, John Paul II went further and suggested evolution was “more than a hypothesis” and “effectively proven fact”.

Scientists conclude that these statements by Francis are aimed at reducing the controversy between science and religion, which deepens with the expansion of scientific knowledge about the world.

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