The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin was on the right track when he claimed that Man descended from apes.

A leading official declared yesterday that Darwin’s theory of evolution was compatible with Christian faith, and could even be traced to St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas. “In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God,” said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The Vatican also dealt the final blow to speculation that Pope Benedict XVI might be prepared to endorse the theory of Intelligent Design, whose advocates credit a “higher power” for the complexities of life.

Very interesting!

Conceding that the Church had been hostile to Darwin because his theory appeared to conflict with the account of creation in Genesis, Archbishop Ravasi argued yesterday that biological evolution and the Christian view of Creation were complementary.

If only more Christians could start thinking this way, instead of going straight from not knowing about to hating the theory of evolution!

Well I for one am still shocked every day that grown people can ignore hard cold scientific fact, yet can believe with no doubt in their mind 2000 year old + "stories". Yes, stories – stories from a time when technology was rare, when understanding of their environment was non existent, where superstition was in place of rational thought. At least people 200 years ago did not know any better, but people today have no excuse.

Isn't it time we all grew up and accept the inevitable – that science is provable and religion is not. The church is trying to admit they are wrong yet still use some silly response like “Oh we believed in evolution, but God made it happen…” then in the same breath admit that they vilified Charles Darwin! Such godly actions to their fellow man…the sooner these people catch up to the 21st century the better.

people check out project blue beam on you tube....this should answer all your questions

I really never understood why their was such a problem between religion and evolution in the first place. I never thought evolution disproved the bible. Even in genesis where it says days, those are only meant to be periods of time, not actual "24 hour days". And the order of the creation also even fits evolution as well as astronomy/big bang stuff. In other places in the bible it even talks about a single day for god could be thousands of years in earth or more.

I just figured the bible was kind of a general way of telling people something for the time. Kind of like you don't need to know physics in order to throw and catch a baseball, but of course physics does explain whats going on in more detail.

Pretty much the only gripe I have with evolution is they replace consciousness with randomness, but I suppose maybe someday they will get that as well.

If you know of the Catholic church you would know its not a christian church. The Pope proclaims he is God on earth.

The title "Lord God the Pope" is found within a gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII, title 14, chapter 4. In an Antwerp edition of the Extravagantes, the words, "Dominum Deum Nostrum Papam" (Our Lord God the Pope) can be found in column 153. In a Paris edition, they are found in column 140.

The Bull Unam Sanctam... Issued by POPE BONIFACE VIII reads as follows: "The Roman Pontiff judges all men, but is judged by no one. We declare, assert, define and pronounce: to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is to every human creature necessary for salvation that which was spoken of Christ 'thou has subdued all things under his feet' may well seem verified in me... I have the authority of the King of Kings. I am all in all and above all, so that God himself and I, the vicar of God, have but one consistory, and I am able to do all that God can do."

Of course he would support such a claim as evolution. He has no faith in God. He thinks he is God.

The vatican saw that it is stupid and ignorant of them to keep on with their "Darvin is devil, evolution is evil and untrue" stuff.
They always knew it's not true, but, if vatican would say: "Look, bible is a load of old stories made by few people who could write and read more than 2000 years ago, and many stuff there is not just contradictory, but also unbelivable for anyone in their right mind", what wold then be their purpose of existance?
What would be the purpose of taking money for their pretty gowns and shoes and popemobile. They can't say the truth, even if they can understand it. So they try to make some compromises, just to not sound all that crazy and ignorant.
Until they can find or manufacture some "evidence", or bunch of new stories, or something else to keep them going (stealing).