Men in Black: Belief in aliens not so far out for some Catholics

Vatican City — More than 2 million people RSVP'd to a recent social media invitation to "storm" Area 51 in Nevada, in the hope of discovering whether alien life or spacecraft may be secretly stored at this U.S. Air Force base.
Though the proposed raid was a spoof, it has morphed into a real, more peaceful encounter. Now dubbed, "Alienstock," the Sept. 20-22 festival aims to be a place "where believers gather" to discuss and celebrate confidence in the existence of alien life and the wonders of the unknown, according to its website, alienstockfestival.com.
But another brand of believers – a "Men in Black" of a spiritual kind – are the pope's own Jesuit astronomers; they have long been active in discussions about extraterrestrial life, the ethics of space exploration and the religious significance of a universe that could be teeming with life.
The huge amount of interest the general public has shown in life existing elsewhere in the universe is part of the age-old question, "Are we alone?" said Jesuit Fr. Jose Funes, former director of the Vatican Observatory and an expert in galaxies and extragalactic astronomy.
The fascination with seeking extraterrestrial life or intelligence "reflects very deep human issues that are important for us" and makes people think about "who we are," he told Catholic News Service in late August.
"We have to become alien somehow" and step outside oneself "in order to understand better who human beings are," said the priest, who holds the chair in science, religion and education at the Catholic University of Cordoba, Argentina. The chair and the think tank initiative, "OTHER," he directs are instrumental for educating the general public, teachers and students about the dialogue between science and religion, he said.
Funes' multidisciplinary expertise in astronomy, philosophy and theology has now earned him a unique place in ET research – serving on the advisory council of METI International.
METI, or Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, takes the next step in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI.
The SETI project, which started in 1959, represents a major coordinated effort in scanning the sky for unusual radio and laser signals from sources that may indicate signs of alien technology. METI looks at what and how to communicate in a vast mysterious universe.
Part of the METI mission, according to its website, METI.org, is to conduct high-level scientific and multidisciplinary research, discuss the importance of searching for life beyond Earth and study the impact searching for, detecting or messaging ETI would have on the world.
More than 80 experts from a huge array of fields – including ethics, linguistics and theology – make up METI's advisory council, and it was just last year that the group's president and founder, Douglas Vakoch, asked Funes to join the team.
"It's natural for METI to be in dialogue with Jesuit astronomers because they understand the science behind our search, giving us common ground, while also having expertise in theology, providing a new perspective for our scientists," Vakoch told CNS in an email response to questions.
The search for life in the cosmos is a scientific quest that follows standard scientific practices and utilizes sophisticated technical equipment.

Carol Glatz

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