Opinion Evolution in Rome

Pope Francis, the head of an institution criticised for being anti-science, stopped just short of endorsing the Big Bang and evolution as the definitive theories of the origin of the universe and the human race. He cast god in the role of “supreme helper” rather than “supreme creator”, stressing that science and religion are not mutually exclusive belief systems and that god does not have a “magic wand”. There is still room in his stance for divine intervention, of course. And this isn’t the first time the Catholic Church has brought evolution into the fold. Both Pius XII and Pope John Paul II had softened the church’s positions on science. But Francis’s staunchly traditionalist predecessor, Benedict XVI, had embraced the notion that only god could be responsible for the grand design of the world around us, so this is something of a corrective.

It is also the latest of many steps Francis has taken to revitalise the church at a time when it appears to be losing its appeal. He inherited an institution besieged by scandal, with allegations of child sexual abuse and corruption damaging its moral authority. The Vatican’s response to this crisis of legitimacy was to dodge, evade and facilitate cover-ups. Francis’s project to clean up the Vatican and reform its bureaucracy is already bearing fruit. On the fraught issue of the clerical abuse of minors, too, his creation of a commission to protect minors and deal with offenders has restored some of the church’s credibility.

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The pontiff’s open and moderate approach to religion, even on contentious issues like homosexuality and contraception, will have helped soothe millions of Catholics alienated by the ultra-conservative Benedict. Francis’s Vatican is a work in progress but his attempts to update its teachings could create a more responsive — and relevant — church.