Intelligent design belittles God, says Vatican Observatory director

Published: 2006-02-02

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- The director of the Vatican Observatory criticized intelligent design supporters as belittling God and making "her/him too small and paltry." Jesuit Father George Coyne said that intelligent design is not science and its view of a designer God is totally different from the Judeo-Christian understanding of God as a creator in which "everything depends upon God, or better, all is a gift from God." He called it "unfortunate that, especially here in America, creationism has come to mean some fundamentalistic, literal, scientific interpretation of Genesis." Using the Bible "as a source of scientific knowledge will unduly complicate the debate over evolution," he said. Father Coyne spoke Jan. 31 at Palm Beach Atlantic University, an interdenominational Christian university with 3,100 students in West Palm Beach. He has headed the Vatican Observatory since 1978. A text of his talk was posted Jan. 30 on the Web site of Catholic Online. In a telephone conversation with Catholic News Service, he said he regularly uses the terms "her/him" and "she/he" to refer to God.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .