Evolution & Catholicism Are Incompatible

The title of this debate is that Evolution and Catholicism ARE incompatible. "Are" is present tense, not past tense. An argument by a reactionary Pope from 100 years ago does not represent what the Church says today. Time has rolled on and understanding has increased. You overlook the fact that evolution is possible not only with various species but in thought as well. This includes both science and theology. There can be no conflict between true scientific discovery and theology. BOTH contain sources of God's revelation to man. And BOTH are sciences because they seek to probe and understand the unknown. But whereas science teaches us the truth of the physical universe only, theology probes deeper into the realm of the supernatural in which God is the ultimate source of all truth including scientific truth, and thus is the greater of the two. (Summa Theologica, Question 1, Treatise on Sacred Doctrine, Articles 1-7) Does that mean that the every word of the Bible is literally true? No. The Bible was not written as a history book, a science book, not a sociology book. Its truth is in what it teaches about the supernatural and therefore it is the MESSAGE which the writers were inspired to proclaim where truth is to be found. The message of the Bible is what is necessary for our own salvation. Catechism of the Catholic Church: 107 The inspired books teach the truth. “Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.”72 (702) If the Bible was interpreted literally was the science in it correct? NO! But that was because the scientific understanding of the day was incorrect. The authors were not inspired to write scientific truth nor historic truth, but rather only that truth which is necessary for our salvation. They did that in reference to what they knew of science and history. The scientific understanding which is related in the Bible is the scientific understanding OF THE DAY. If the science was incorrect, blame the "scientists" of the day.That said, it is interesting to note that behind the lines of Genesis Chapter 1 there lies an agreement with not only evolution, but the Big Bang, abiogenesis, and Pangea. Since the argument is about evolution I will reference only that. It can be seen in the order of appearance of the various living things. They correspond almost precisely with that which evolutionary scientists explain. (Genesis 1:11-24) Note also that in both the cases of the vegetation and various animals Scripture does not say that God "created" them, but rather that He caused the EARTH to produce them. (Genesis 1:11, 24). This is exactly what scientists state when they speak about a primordial soup. Understand that Catholicism is NOT a religion "of the Book". It is not something confined to particular words written thousand of years ago from which only one understanding can be garnered. Rather than this it is a religion inspired by the living WORD of God. The Spirit is continuing to this day to inspire us to a deeper and clearer understanding of the Scriptures. Catechism of the Catholic Church #108: Still, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book.” Christianity is the religion of the “Word” of God, a word which is “not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living.”73 If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, “open [our] minds to understand the Scriptures.”74You also make reference to the Church Fathers understanding. Once again, their understanding of science and even Scriptures was based on the understanding of the day. In reference to Scripture you passage would only be true when it concern matters of faith and morals - not to issues of the understanding of science. This is the same understanding which we have today concerning Papal infallibility, and even in that case it is limited and superseded by the Cardinals when they are in Session. You also do not state any proof that the Church Fathers were in unanimous consent on the issue of a literal 6 day creation. In understanding Scriptures it is also important to understand how and why they were written. For example Genesis 1 was originally a SONG. Genesis 2 was essentially a morality play. Just as with songs, plays or movies of today poetic licence is granted to the writers, and the audience understands that the events portrayed may not be exactly has they historically occurred. The same is true concerning idiomatic expressions. Without knowing the meaning of the expressions in the terms of the day it can be completely misinterpreted. The dialogue which Peter had with Christ is an example:21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 A literalist would then come up with that we should forgive 490 times. That is a figure which is passed in some families in less than a year. Without understanding that 7 was the number of fulfillment in the day the meaning is lost. Today we might use the words a "million" or a "billion" for the same purpose. ("I could have eaten a million of those donuts."). What Peter was asking was in reality "Should we always forgive?". Christ response was an exaggeration for emphasis. Catechism of the Catholic Church #110: In order to discover the sacred authors’ intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current. “For the fact is that truth is differently presented and expressed in the various types of historical writing, in prophetical and poetical texts, and in other forms of literary expression.”76So Scripture obviously is not to be taken literally in every case. The same holds true about your argument about a "day" being 24 hours. Even in English the word "day" can mean something other than 24 hours, as in "In the day of the dinosaurs...." which would mean a period of 140 million years.The Psalmist clearly states "A thousand years in your sight are like yesterDAY now that it has past, or as a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:4) At the time a night watch was generally approximately 3 hours. So the psalmist is stating that a thousand years is like 3 hours for God. As stated, the Church has long stated that there can be no conflict between scientific and religious truth. This is even spoken about in the Catechism.Catechism of the Catholic Church #159: Faith and science: “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.”37 “Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.”38 (283, 2293) In as far as evolution itself the Church has long stated that there is no conflict between Church teachings and a belief in evolution. For that matter several Catholic scientists were a part of the theory's development. These included Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel. Evolution in no way denies the influence of God. This was the basis of the Encyclical Humani Genreris of Pope Pius XII in 1950. Every Pope since has acknowledged that whether a Catholic wishes to believe in evolution or in a specific creation is totally up to the individual. It is a scientific matter, not a theological one, and eventually science may tell us the absolute truth. The Church has never made a pronouncement against evolution.The Catholic Church holds no official position on the theory of creation or evolution, leaving the specifics of either theistic evolution or literal creationism to the individual within certain parameters established by the Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, any believer may accept either literal or special creation within the period of an actual six day, twenty-four hour period, or they may accept the belief that the earth evolved over time under the guidance of God. Catholicism holds that God initiated and continued the process of his evolutionary creation... (Wikipedia: "The Catholic Church and Evolution.)