Vatican exploring extraterrestrial life

November 11, 11:31 AM2012 ExaminerTeri Sahm

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Alexander Cozens

British Painter 1717-1786

Thirty scientists, including non-Catholics, from the U.S., France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy and Chile attended a conference hosted by the Vatican, to explore the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.

The conference focused on a budding field of study called astrobiology defined as the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos. Hosted by the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory, discussions centered around questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe.

This is not the first time the Vatican has explored the issue of extraterrestrials: In 2005, its observatory brought together top researchers in the field for similar discussions.

Read the full AP story by Ariel David here.  Visit the Vatican Observatory Site.