Like many other Catholics, I was relieved last week when Cardinal Poupard insisted that there was no fundamental conflict between Catholicism and evolution: “Fundamentalists want to give a scientific meaning to words that had no scientific aim.” This has long been the Church’s position, and its re-statement came at a moment when the loopy right is trying to undermine science education in the United States. The London Times’ Rees-Mogg even wrote:
Cardinal Poupard’s statement clarified the acceptance of Darwinism and rightly asserted that religious belief is compatible with the theory of evolution. He also gave a further indication that the mindset of Benedict XVI may be a good deal more modern than had been expected. One should have foreseen that with a German pope. The German Church has a strong tradition of theological inquiry in which Benedict XVI has been educated.
Alas, not so fast. Almost immediately, the Pope came out with a statement that clearly signals the hierarchy’s flirtation with intelligent design. Rees-Mogg argues that Benedict is an intellectual. Maybe. But he is a politician first.
The Dish 