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Positive News was handed the guardianship of Global Village News and Resources in summer of 2004. Although we would like to continue to make the archives available to subscribers and readers we would like to point out that stories published prior to issue 89 were not under our editorial guidance and would like to make a distinction that these are not necessarily a reflection of the current opinions of our editorial team. Guest Editorial Vatican Acknowledges ET
Presence Preface by Richard Boylan, Ph.D. 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 behaviour 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. I - UFO: Something real must exist. 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 sceptic behaviour 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 aeroplanes, that were certainly built in USA since the so called Cold War (it is also certain that Russia built some aeroplanes 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,
organisations 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 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 generalised, 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. 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 favour from the various considerations: 1. Before all, that exist other inhabited planets is 2. Furthermore, the existence of other inhabited planets 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 recognise 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 Grassoconcludes: "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 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. Algunos testimonios a favor. 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 onlyintelligent 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 authorised 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 favourable to the glory of the Lord. God creates for His glory, and any glory is possible without intelligentbeings, able to know the creation of the Lord" I remember two persons for whom there is already going on their process of canonisation: 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 canonised 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). Lac. Corrado Balducci
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