"God is not a magician, with a magic wand": Pope Francis schools ...

The pontiff admits he believes in evolution and the Big Bang, says science and religion can peacefully coexist
Published October 28, 2014 4:50PM (EDT)
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In an exciting declaration, Pope Francis I stated that God should not seen as a "magician with a magic wand," while unveiling a statue of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Pope Francis also stated that evolution and the Big Bang theory are both true and not incompatible with the church's views on the origins of the universe and life.
"When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so," Francis said, according to the Independent. Francis continued by stating that God "created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment."
"The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it," Francis explained. "Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve."
While the pope's understanding of the origins of life still requires a divine force (rather than a scientific one), his views are a leap forward for the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is not the first pope to welcome these two scientific theories. However, the Catholic Church has a long reputation of being at odds with science, and Pope Francis' declaration is looked at as “trying to reduce the emotion of dispute or presumed disputes” between the church and science.