The Pope Reflects On Revelation And Theories Of Evolution

Editor's Note: Pope John Paul II transmitted the following open letter to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in October 1996. His letter is a statement of the Catholic Church's current position with respect to biological evolution. It is of interest in the context of discussions concerning creationism, religion, science, and science education. The original references included within the papal letter have been preserved, but the subheadings appearing throughout the text have been edited for spa

Written byPope John Paul
| 7 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
7:00
Share

Editor's Note: Pope John Paul II transmitted the following open letter to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in October 1996. His letter is a statement of the Catholic Church's current position with respect to biological evolution. It is of interest in the context of discussions concerning creationism, religion, science, and science education. The original references included within the papal letter have been preserved, but the subheadings appearing throughout the text have been edited for space constraints. The statement is followed by a response from a microbiologist concerned with evolutionary issues. To the Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences taking part in the Plenary Assembly. . . . 1. In celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Academy's refoundation, I would like to recall the intentions of my predecessor Pius XI, who wished to surround himself with a select group of scholars, relying on them to inform the Holy See in ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Published In

Share
Image of a man in a laboratory looking frustrated with his failed experiment.
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies