Austrian cardinal says Darwinism should be studied as science

Published: 2006-08-24

RIMINI, Italy (CNS) -- Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna said he thought Darwin's theories on evolution deserve to be studied in schools, along with the scientific question marks that remain. It is right to teach "the science of Darwin, not ideological Darwinism," Cardinal Schonborn said Aug. 23. He spoke at a meeting in Rimini sponsored by the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation, and his remarks were reported by Italian newspapers. In 2005, Cardinal Schonborn helped fuel the debate over evolution and intelligent design when he wrote in The New York Times that science offers "overwhelming evidence for design in biology." He later said some scientists had turned Darwin's teachings into an ideological "dogma" that admitted no possibility of a divine design in the created world. In Rimini, the cardinal said he did not regret writing The New York Times article, but said that in retrospect he might have been more nuanced. "Perhaps it was too much crafted with a hatchet," he said.

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