by Lac. Corrado Balducci
Rome, C. 7 / 6 / 2001
from
PufoinForums Website
Short Biography
Monsignor Balducci is a Vatican theologian and an insider
close to the Pope. He has been featured on national Italian
television numerous times to express that extraterrestrial contact
is a real phenomenon and “not due to psychological impairment”.
In this testimony he explains that not only the general populous but
also highly credible, cultured, and educated people of high status
are recognizing more and more that this is a real phenomenon. He
goes on to speak about the extraterrestrial people as part of
God’s creation and that they are not angels nor are they devils.
However they are probably more spiritually evolved.
“The Lord certainly did not limit
His glory to this small Earth. On other planets other beings
exist who did not sin and fall as we did."
- St. Padre Pio of
Pietrelcina (1887-1968)
canonized June 16, 2002
Msgr. Balducci is one of the best-known
and most respected Italian theologians. The Roman priest and Curia
member served the Holy See as a diplomat and member of the
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples ("Propaganda Fide").
He is an expert on demonology and parapsychology, was for several
years the exorcist of the diocese of Rome, the Pope’s diocese.
Msgr. Balducci wrote several books,
including the bestseller "Il Diavolo" (the Devil) which reached 14
print runs in the hardcover edition. Furthermore he is a regular
guest in the Italian State TV (Rai Due), where he made several
statements on the UFO phenomenon since 1995. He spoke on the UFO
congresses in Acapulco and San Marino. We publish his paper for the
first time in an English translation. It is indeed noteworthy, since
it is the very first detailed statement of a senior Roman Catholic
theologian and Curia member on the UFO phenomenon.
More than that, it demonstrates the
openness of the Roman Catholic church in this question and can be
considered the first ever complex positive statement regarding the
UFO/ET reality from the point of view of a major world religion -
with its over 1 Billion faithful, the RC Church is indeed the
largest religious community on Earth. Note that since the first
Balducci-statement also H.H., the Dalai Lama (for Tibetan Buddhism),
several Jewish rabbis in Israel and, in 2001, the Muslim authorities
of Turkey followed with positive statements on this subject.
Therefore it can be said that UFOs are
not only “no problem” for the largest Christian church, but also for
other world religions.
I. UFOs: THERE
MUST BE SOMETHING TRUE ABOUT THEM
There is a great and constantly growing number of eyewitness
testimony about the so-called "flying saucers", spacecraft and
Extraterrestrials. Many of these eyewitnesses are highly qualified
observers with a profound education, who did not believe in them
before they had their personal encounter.
On November 4, 1988, Mrs. Fioschini,
TV host of the program "Misteri" on RAI Due, stated:
"There are thousands of persons in
all the world who claim that they saw a UFO at least once, and
many even claim a contact with their crews."
On this base it can no longer be denied
that there is indeed something true about them. Any skepticism would
be completely unjustified und unreasonable! Of course some
eyewitness reports are based on imagination, hallucination or
external influence. In other instances they were caused by
atmospheric phenomena, lenticular clouds or ball lightning. Again
others turned out to be state-of-the-art aircraft types of the
Americans and Russians, tested during the Cold War.
Already during World War II, sighted
UFOs were thought to be the secret weapon of the enemy. But all this
is not enough to explain a great part of the eyewitness testimony
and the UFO phenomenon itself. Even the most careful investigation
can only reduce the number of real cases and sift the chaff from the
wheat, but can never explain them all satisfactorily, as the past
has taught us.
In many countries professional or semi-professional organizations
investigate UFO sightings in cooperation with scientists and experts
to separate explainable from unidentifiable cases. In France there
is the governmental SEPRA, in Italy the "National Ufological
Center" CUN, which exists for nearly 40 years and is
headed by Dr. Roberto Pinotti, or, since 5 years, the
CIFAS (Council of International Federation of Advanced
Studies), founded by Air force General Salvatore Marcheletti,
which investigates the position of man in space.
Let me add one more important point: The general a
priori-skepticism, the systematic, total denial, damages, even
destroys the basic value of the human testimony with grave and
incalculable consequences, since it is indeed the fundament of human
society, if individual, social or religious.
Of course there is always one or the
other exemption, there are errors and lies, but generally all our
life is based on what we learned from others. It is unthinkable to
live without this basic confidence, unimaginable are the
consequences of a general negation of the human experience on the
individual, social and religious life. It would destroy the very
fundament of any human society!
This applies to the religious life, too. Indeed the Christian
religion is based on the testimony of humans who became witnesses of
God's revelation in historical events. In 1937, the
theologian and Jesuit Father Herbert Thurston stated:
"On one point of the logic view the
Christian accepts the miracle reports of the Gospels ... our
complete apologetic concept bases on the trust in the veracity
of the Gospels."
(La Chiesa e lo Spiritismo,
Milano 1937, o.179)
Therefore is,
"the systematic demolition and
defamation of the human testimony, the simple reduction on dates
and facts, contradictory to our Faith in the historicity of the
Gospels and therefore indirectly to the faith in the Christian
revelation."
(p. 157)
II.
THEOLOGICAL AND BIBLICAL REMARKS ABOUT THE INHABITABILITY OF OTHER
PLANETS
Let me state very clearly: We can exclude that angels use
spaceships. As purely spiritual beings, angels can project
themselves at any place they want to reach and, in rare instances,
when they want to reveal themselves, take a visible form without any
difficulty.
The same is certain for the defunct.
When the Holy Virgin wants to reveal herself to Mankind (as it
happened in rare, well-documented cases) she chose forms in which
she can express her love and care as a mother and her motherly
compassion with us.
We don't even have to waste a thought on
the devil and his demons, who still kept their angelic nature, being
fallen angels and therefore also purely spiritual beings, since they
are limited in their activity by God and therefore not able to bring
all their hatred to us.
"If the devil would take the
initiative, not a single living being would remain on Earth",
St. Augustine wrote.
(ML37, 1246)
St. Bonaventura added:
"The cruelty of the demon is
so immense that he could swallow us any moment, if we were not
under divine protection."
("Diaeta ssalutis", tit.7,c.1,
Verona 1748, S.183)
When we talk about "Extraterrestrials",
we refer to humanoid beings which are, like us, of both, a spiritual
and a material nature, a physical body (for which to move they
indeed need spacecraft), although in their case the relationship
between mind and matter might be a different one than in our case.
For this, we do not have scientific evidence yet, although we are
approaching this question slowly thanks to an increasing number of
careful studies and research.
In regards to the biblical and
theological aspect of this question, let me state:
1. It is very well possible
that other inhabited planets exist.
We do not find any direct
reference to extraterrestrial life in the Bible, but it neither
excludes their existence. Since God's wisdom and
omnipotence has no limits and is infinite indeed, this
possibility doubtlessly exists.
2. The existence of other inhabited planets is highly
probable.
The distance between the angels, purely spiritual
beings, and us, beings of spirit and matter, body and soul is
too large. Our soul cannot act without the body, its unalterable
means, which through its passions and sinfulness influences the
soul so deeply that man becomes unstable and rather tends toward
the bad than towards the good.
Therefore it is highly probable that
in between, between us and the angels, another life form exists,
namely beings which still have a physical body but one which is
more perfect than ours and influences the soul less in its
intelligent acts and intentions. This assumption is confirmed by
the ancient principle defined by Lucrezio Caro as "Natura
non favit saltus" (The Nature makes no jumps, see "De rerum
natura"), still quoted by theologians.
We find another thought regarding the infinity of the creation
and the Glory of God in Psalm 18 (19): "The heavens declare the
glory of God". Only man can consciously worship God,
because of his free will and intelligence. Therefore several
theologians consider it not only possible but very probable that
out there in Space, unreachable for our scientific instruments,
other beings exist who recognize and venerate God since they
realized this as the reason and meaning of their world and the
creation itself.
The Jesuit Father P. Domenico Grasso, a theologian of the
Pontifical University "Gregoriana" in Rome, stated:
"Why should all the perfection,
God gave so richly to the Universe, be hidden and should not
declare His glory? Who writes a book and is sure that it
will never be read? Who paints a painting and hides it
thereafter, and nobody can see it?".
Then he quotes the German theologian
Joseph Pohle, who wrote in his book of 1904 ("Die
Sternenwelt und ihre Bewohner" - "The celestial realms and their
inhabitants", Cologne 1904, p. 457):
"It seems to be the purpose of
the Universe that the celestial bodies are inhabited by
beings who reflect the glory of God in the beauty of their
bodies and worlds as man does, in a limited way, in his
world."
But they are not angels, Father Grasso added, since angels are purely spiritual beings and can
perceive matter only indirectly, just as we can only indirectly
perceive the world of the spirit.
3. The inhabitability of other planets is not only
possible and probable, but also desirable.
In the future, even
in a far-distant-one, their possible inhabitants, if they are
indeed superior to us, can help and support us in our spiritual
development. In this way, which we cannot prove, they might have
helped and protected us already in the past. If indeed
intelligent beings exist on other planets, their existence might
very well be correlated with the Salvation through Christ.
It is certain that Christ is
the center and head of the creation or universe, as St. Paul
already stated (Col. 1, 16-17). Therefore there exists no world
which is not related to him. As the Word Incarnate, he
has, as the Bible confirms, an influence on every possible
inhabited planet.
To quote the Apostle:
"For by him all things were
created that are in heaven and that are on Earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through
him and for him. And he is before all things and in him all
things consist... For it pleased the Father that in him all
the fullness should dwell. And by him to reconcile all
things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things
in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his
cross."
(Col. 1, 16-20)
The Church celebrates the last Sunday of
the Liturgical Year (in November) as the Feast of Christ the
King, and in its liturgy Christ is clearly defined as the
king of the Universe, remembering the universality of his
kingdom, which is also expressed in the daily Mass.
III. SOME
CONFIRMING STATEMENTS
There exist several interesting statements on the inhabitability of
other worlds by lay scientists, theologians or servants of God which
already qualified for a process of beatification or canonization.
Beginning with the laymen, let me quote the great French scientist
Charles Richter (1850-1935), the founder of Metapsychics
(today called Parapsychology). He was a materialist.
In 1922, in his "Traite de Metapsychique",
he stated:
"Do we have any right to claim, just
because of our limited senses and our mistaken intelligence,
that man is the only intelligent being in this immense cosmos?
... That other intelligences, different from us, exist, is not
only possible but extremely probable. It is absurd to claim that
we are the only intelligence in nature... the existence of these
beings cannot be proven, but the probability of their existence
is evident."
Among the theologians I want to refer
to, are:
1. Cardinal Nikolaus Cusanus
(1401-1464). He stated:
"We are not authorized to exclude that
on another star beings exist which are completely different from
us."
2. The Jesuit Father and astronomer Fr.
Angelo Secchi
(1818-1876) wrote:
"It is absurd to claim that the worlds
surrounding us are large, uninhabited worlds and that the
meaning of the universe lies just in our small, inhabited
planet."
3. The famous Dominican preacher Jacques-Marie-Louis Monsabre
(1827-1907) referred to the principle "Natura non facit saltus"
when he claimed that other intelligent beings besides men and
angels exist.
4. The already quoted English Jesuit Father
Herbert Thurston
wrote:
"Who can claim that there are no other intelligent beings
besides angels, demons and men in the Universe? I do not intend
to confirm the possibility I indicated in my question as a fact,
but I ask: Who can be sure about it."
Of the servants of God either
qualified for a beatification or just canonized, I only want to
refer:
1. The Salesian Father and Servant
of God Don Andrea Beltrami (1870-1897) who prayed
also for the inhabitants of other planets. Of the 16 booklets he
wrote, one is said to deal with this topic; unfortunately they
were not published yet by the Father Postulator of his cause.
2. The second, with whom I want to close this paper, is the
great stigmatized Capucchin Padre Pio, who was beatified
by Pope John Paul II on May 2, 1999 and canonized on June 16,
2002. From St. Fr. Pio, the following dialogue is documented and
officially published by the Cappuchin Order:
Question: Padre, some
claim that there are creatures of God on other planets, too.
Answer: "What else? Do you think they don’t exist and
that God's omnipotence is limited to this small planet
Earth? What else? Do you think there are no other beings who
love the Lord?"
Question: Padre, I think the Earth is nothing
compared to other planets and stars.
Answer: "Exactly! Yes, and we Earthlings are nothing,
too. The Lord certainly did not limit His glory to this
small Earth. On other planets other beings exist who did not
sin and fall as we did."
(Don Nello Castello: Cosi
parlo P.Pio, Vicenza 1974)
UFOLOGY AND
THEOLOGICAL CLARIFICATIONS
(Monsignor Corrado
Balducci - Pescara, June 8th. 2001)
Over the last 150 years it have appeared sequentially and with an
increasing spreading and frequency rate, two types of manifestations
and phenomena, very different between them, but both so interesting,
controversial and fascinating to divide public opinion into two
different aspects: or everything is real, or well everything is
false.
These are spiritualism and ufology. It shouldn't surprise us
this approach, because it's related only to the reactions and
behavior of the public before these two phenomena and not to their
contents, obviously quite different between both of them
Regarding spiritualism, this is a practice for which there are
testimonies across the centuries; in 1847, with the sisters Fox in Hydesville (New York), it had a special remark and spread rapidly in
several countries. Very soon there was an explanation for the
phenomena connected to such practices, even by the scientists: the
souls of the disincarnated, better said of the dead people, are the
cause of this. This was called the spiritualist hypothesis, against
which theologians soon opposed to the so called demonic hypothesis.
Only by the end of XIX century there were made the first attempts to
look for a natural explanation, and finally in 1922, with the thick
book of the French scientist Charles Richet, Traitè de Mètapsychique
, it began officially the so called Metapsychics, nowadays better
known as Parapsychology.
When I began with my demonic and metapsychic studies back in 1950, I
found myself in a period when, since two decades ago, it was denied
the existence of spiritualist phenomena (and not only by some
scientists, but also by a very wide public opinion), that
represented at that time the most abundant cases of Metapsychics.
The same is valid since some decades on regarding Ufology.
After this premise, we reach our subject, for which I have two very
brief clarifications to expose.
-
The acronym UFO (Unidentified
Flying Object), is used here in a wider sense, or even
better, including also the existence of living beings in
other planets.
-
The aim of my intervention is to
underline that something real must exist in the phenomena,
and how this does not contrast at all with Christian
religion, being considered positive even among theologians.
Let's divide the speech in three points:
1. Something real must exist.
2. Theological considerations on
the habitability of other planets.
3. Some testimonies favorable to it.
I. UFO: Something real must exist.
This is a statement coming out from basic considerations based
upon common sense, human rationalism and upon a normal and
possible course of our lives, considering not only individual
and social aspects, but also religious.
In fact, today there is a great amount (still increasing) of
testimonies regarding the so called flying saucers or spaceships
and the extraterrestrials; and among them there are some coming
from reliable persons, with a culture and initially non
believers. There are already hundreds of thousands of eye
witnesses in the world that state to have seen UFO's at least
once. There are so many, even in a smaller amount, the
testimonies coming from the so called contactees.
If we consider this, it seems impossible to deny at a rational
level that something real does exist A totally skeptic behavior
is not justified at all, because a priori seems to be against to
the elemental prudence suggested by the good sense.
It is also real that we could think rationally that so large
average of testimonies could be due to illusions, hallucinations
and to states of intense suggestion. In other cases it could be
also due to particular light effects or well to atmospheric
phenomena, such as clouds that over the mountains may show a
shape similar to the flying saucers; we could use as an example
the so called ball rays or well globular flashes of lighting.
Other times UFO's could be confused with certain types of
round-shaped aero planes, that were certainly built in USA since
the so called Cold War (it is also certain that Russia built
some aero planes of this type). This promoted in the period
after World War II, the spreading of the idea that flying
saucers were nothing else but new inventions with warring aim,
obviously kept secret.
But these are always inaccurate explanations and considerations
to explain the number of testimonies and the wideness of UFO
phenomenon. The most severe and hard criticism could reduce
largely this number, but never will be able to eliminate all of
them.
We also have to remember that in several countries exist places,
organizations and associations that collect evidences and
testimonies on tape, in order to make them examine and study by
experts and scientists as necessary; after that the whole set is
catalogued in explainable and non explainable phenomena. It is
not any longer a secret the existence of the so called
Area 51
in the United States, within a zone in the hearth of the Nevada
desert; an enormous land area that has a larger construction
underground than on the surface.
In France is famous the SEPRA
association; in Italy there is the CUN, Centro Ufologico
Nazionale (National Ufological Centre), already on its 36th.
year of existence, and with Dr. Roberto Pinotti as President
since long ago; also in Italy there is since 4 years until now
the CIFAS (Council of International Federation of Advanced
Studies) dedicated to study the relationships between man and
extraterrestrial space, which President is still Gen. Salvatore Marcelletti.
Regarding the existence of something real within UFO phenomenon,
I must add another consideration that was left for last to
better underline its importance. And this is, that a
generalized, systematic and total incredulity finally would
weaken and destroy the value of human testimony, with serious
and unforeseeable consequences, because that is the base of life
not only individual and social, but also religious.
In fact, testimony is a form of communication of our faith in
our partner. This is a widely spread way on daily life (when
listening news, spending, buying, etc.). Let's imagine what
could happen on individual and social life if the value of human
testimony was weaken, with the logical decrease and
disappearance of that faith many times is essential for daily
life
After this, I have extended such inconveniences to religious
life; in fact, also Christian religion is based upon human
testimony, being the Divine Revelation an historical fact.
In 1937 Jesuit theologian Herbert Thurston wrote on purpose:
From a logical point of view, Christians that accept miracles
and other episodes related on the Gospel... they cannot reject
in an obstinate way the reiterated testimonies of modern and
reliable witnesses, that relate what their eyes have seen...
All our Apologetic system is based
upon the belief in the Truth said in the Gospel ( Church and
Spiritualism ; Milan, 1937; p.p. 179). For that: systematic
demolition and discredit of human testimonies regarding simple
fact data, seem to me contrary in principle to all belief on the
historic seriousness of Gospel, and indirectly, to every belief
on Christian Revelation (Op. Cit. p.p. 157).
II. Theological and biblical
considerations on the habitability of other planets
First of all a clarification: we should exclude that angels use
spaceships, due to the fact that they are merely spiritual
beings, and that they are wherever they want to be, and in the
rare cases when they show themselves, they don't have any
difficulty to assume a visible form. The very same we can say
about dead people.
Holy Virgin, in the very few cases
when she could consider to be in contact with human people (very
exceptional episodes and to be confirmed in their authenticity),
continues to choose other very different ways to transmit us her
maternal affection, to manifest us her urgencies, to communicate
us her maternal claims or to give us her sweet reproaches. Even
keeping their angelic nature, we shouldn't think about the
devils at all, because they are connected in their liberty to
God on their extraordinary activity, and in that way they are
disabled to express their terrible and malefic hate regarding
us.
Let's remember St. August: If the
devil by his own initiative could do anything, even a single
living being would not stay on Earth (ML 37, 1246); let's
remember also to St. Buenaventura: Is so large the demon's
cruelty, that he would swallow us in every moment, if Divine
protection don't guard us ( Diaeta salutis , tit. 7 c.1, Verona
1748, p. 183).
Therefore, when speaking about extraterrestrials, we must think
in beings like us, or well and preferably in other types of
living beings, that in their spiritual part they have associated
a material one; better said, a body in a better state than the
one existing for us as humans.
There is not a scientific certainty yet about this problem, even
if this seems to be closer and closer, thanks to the progress of
science and study. Regarding the theological and biblical aspect
of this matter, we can remark three points, three affirmations
in favor from the various considerations:
1. Before all, that exist
other inhabited planets is something possible.
In the Bible
there are not specific allusions to other living beings, but
neither is excluded this hypothesis, that for this stays as
possible, if we think that God's omnipotence and wisdom have
no limits, being infinite.
2. Furthermore, the existence of other inhabited
planets is something credible.
In fact, there is a great
diversity between angels, merely spiritual beings and us,
composed by spirit and matter; better said, soul and flesh,
but a soul that cannot act if don't use the body as an
instrument; a body that makes with its passions and capital
vices conditional the soul to the point of make human person
so fragile, and more devoted to evil than to goodness.
Therefore is credible that this
enormous distance between us and the angels could be reduced
by the presence of beings that, having also a body (even if
more perfect), their soul is less conditioned on their
intelligent and volitional acting.
If necessary, there is another
confirmation upon the very ancient saying of Lucrezio Caro:
Natura non facit saltus ; a very famous phrase (that I found
on the De rerum natura ) and quoted - regarding that
argument - also by some theologians.
Another consideration is taken for the aim of the creation,
or well the Glory of God, a concept that you can find
several times on the Bible. For instance, Psalm 18 begins by
saying precisely: heavens sing the glory of God . But only
human person is able to give this glory to God in a
conscious way , because it has intelligence and free will.
Precisely for this, several theologians say, is not only
possible but credible, that in the spaces that are distant
and inaccessible for men and his scientific instruments, do
exist other beings able to know God as their Creator, and
also they give Him this Glory, that for them and their
worlds represent the aim of Creation.
Jesuit Father Domenico Grasso, Professor of Theology at the
Pontifical Gregorian University wrote on purpose: Why all
the perfection God has spread so widely in the universe
should be kept hidden without singing the glory of God?
Wouldn't it be a discordance unsuitable for God? Who writes
a book knowing that it will never be read by anyone, or well
who paints a painting to hide it from anyone's sight? .
He claims regarding the statements made by German theologian
Joseph Pohle in one of his books of 1904 (page 457): It
seems to be accordingly with the aim of the world that
inhabitable celestial bodies are settled by creatures that
recognize the glory of God in the physical beauties of their
worlds, in the same way man does with his smaller world (
Die Sternewelt undihre Bewohner - The Stars of Universe and
its Inhabitants ; Köln 1904; pp. 457).
Finally Father Grasso concludes:
we must think in the angels to know where God receives the
glory from these worlds from, because them, that are purely
spiritual, are not able to know the matter but indirectly,
in the same way man does with the spirit (ib.).
3. Beyond to be something possible and credible, I
would see desirable the inhabitability of other planets.
In
a future, even if very remote, these eventual inhabitants,
superior to us, could be very helpful to us, specially in
our spiritual path. In a non practical way, they could had
been protecting and helping us since long time ago.
If it is the case that they do really exist intelligent
beings on other planets, it would be easier to understand
how to conciliate their existence with the redemption of
Christ. As St. Paul says (cfr. Col. 1, 16-17), a real fact
is that Christ is the centre and head of the creation of the
universe. Therefore there are no worlds without a reference
of Him. From the Bible is possible to assure that Christ, as
Incarnated Verb, has total influence upon all the possible
inhabited planets.
I quote what said by St. Paul to the Colossians: For by Him
all things were created that are in heaven and that are on
Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created through
Him and for Him. And He is before all things and in Him all
things consist... For it pleased the Father that in Him all
the fullness should dwell. And by Him to reconcile all
things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things
in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross
(Col. 1, 16-20).
The Church celebrates the last
Sunday of the Liturgical Year (before the Advent) as the Feast
of Christ, King of the universe, and in its liturgy the
universality of his kingdom is remembered, which is also
expressed in the daily Mass.
III. Some testimonies in favor
There exist several interesting statements on the inhabitability
of other worlds by lay scientists, theologians or servants of
God which already qualified for a process of beatification or
canonization. Obviously I'll limit myself to quote just some of
them.
Beginning with the laymen, let me quote the great French
scientist Charles Richet (1850 - 1935), that was, among other
things, a materialist. In 1922, in his Traitè de Mètapsychique ,
he stated: Do we have any right to claim, just because of our
limited senses and our mistaken intelligence, that man is the
only intelligent being in this immense cosmos?...
That other intellectual
forces, different from us, exist, is not only possible but
extremely probable. It is even certain... It is absurd to claim
that we are the only intelligence in nature... The existence of
these beings cannot be proven, but the probability of their
existence is evident (loc. cit., Paris 1922, pp. 787-788).
I remember 5 theologians:
1. Cardinal Nicolò Cusano (1401
- 1464), philosopher and scientist that said: We are not
authorized to exclude that on another star beings do exist,
even if they are completely different from us .
2. The Jesuit Father and astronomer Fr. Angelo Secchi (1818
- 1876) wrote: It is absurd to claim that the worlds
surrounding us are large, uninhabited deserts and that the
meaning of the universe lies just in our small, inhabited
planet. .
3. The famous Dominican preacher Jacques-Marie-Louis
Monsabre (1827 - 1907) referred to the principle Natura non
facit saltus when he claimed that other intelligent beings
besides men and angels exist.
4. The already quoted English Jesuit Father Herbert Thurston
wrote: Who can claim that there are no other intelligent
beings besides these 3 categories of angels, demons and men
in the Universe of God? I do not intend to confirm the
possibility I indicated in my question as a fact, but I ask:
Who can be sure about it? (Op. Cit., pp. 3).
5. German Theologian Giuseppe Pohle: Hypothesis of the
plurality of inhabited worlds is totally favorable to the
glory of the Lord. God creates for His glory, and any glory
is possible without intelligent beings, able to know the
creation of the Lord . I remember two persons for whom there
is already going on their process of canonization:
1. The Salesian Father and
Servant of God Don Andrea Beltrami (1870 - 1897) who
prayed also for the possible inhabitants of other
planets. Of the 16 booklets he wrote, one seems to deal
with this topic (and I say seems because unfortunately I
was not able to know the titles of his 16 publications).
2. The second (with whom I want to close this paper), is
the already sanctified Padre Pio, who was beatified by
Pope John Paul II on May 2, 1999 and canonized on June
16, 2002. From St. Fr. Pio, the following dialogue is
documented and officially published by the Cappuchin
Order:
Question: Father,
some claim that there are creatures of God on other
planets, too.
Answer: What
else? Do you think they don't exist and that God's
omnipotence is limited to this small planet Earth?
What else? Do you think there are no other beings
who love the Lord? .
Another question:
Father, I think the Earth is nothing compared to
other planets and stars .
Answer: Exactly
Yes, and we Earthlings are nothing, too. The Lord
certainly did not limit His glory to this small
Earth. On other planets other beings exist who did
not sin and fall as we did . (Don Nello Castello:
Così parlò Padre Pio ; Vicenza, 1974).
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