In an October 22 , 1996 , address to the Pontifical Academy of Science , Pope John Paul II updated the Church 's position , recognizing that Evolution is `` more than a hypothesis '' - `` In his encyclical Humani Generis , my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation ... Today , more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical , some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis .
Pope Pius XII stated in his encyclical Humani Generis published in the 1950s : Pope John Paul II updated this position in 1996 .