Vatican's interest in extraterrestrial life ...

The Vatican's interest in extraterrestrial life began in 2008, when Father Jose Gabriel Funes, the chief papal astronomer, announced that the existence of alien life does not contradict the Bible. This revelation opened up a wide range of theological implications.
"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said, Father Jose Gabriel Funes,
"As an astronomer I continue to believe that God is the creator of the universe,". The possibility raises a difficult theological question concerning redemption from the original sin, which by Christian tradition occurred in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of a particular tree.
Funes told the Osservatore Romano: "If other intelligent beings exist, it's not certain that they need redemption.".