TorrentialD's Place

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, says that the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

In an interview published Tuesday by Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures.

The interview was headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.

my take on this is that intergalactic marriage and immigration could be the next political hot potato. i say this in jest because it's highly doubtful other life forms we'd readiy marry are unlikely to be out there. besides, there'd probably be the sticky issue of surrogate alienhood and a host of other things, most significantly that being how you keep from puching the shit out of your neighbor when he says "isn't she a little too green for you?" or perhaps even insulting your kids by calling them one-eyed guppies. besides, sharks and stonefish are god's creatures too, but who'd want to marry one of them? i think funes needs ro cut back on the absinthe.