VII Another Galileo?

The scientists of the twentieth century see more clearly that there is no contradiction between science and religion, each has its own domain, one cannot replace the other, but they can coexist and co-prosper together, they can even complement each other. Fr. Teilhard was an outstanding scientist in palaeontology and palaeo-anthropology. He investigated fossils－the direct proof of biological evolution－, and at the same time he had a profound belief that God created the world, he was a believer in God. He was also a member of the Jesuit religious order (the Jesuit order in the Catholic Church has always been maligned by the enemies of religion as being the most reactionary, the most conservative). In the person of Fr. Teilhard, science and religion were in intimate harmony.

1) New Things are Formed Gradually

New things do not fall from heaven in one piece, ready-made. They grow and develop gradually, are gradually accepted. Old things are also gradually eliminated and destroyed. "At the sound of exploding crackers the old is eliminated; with peach-wood charms all nature is made new"－the changeover from old to new can certainly not be solved like that, overnight. The revolutionary movement must face extreme opposition, must pass through dramatic struggle.

The new things, people will not understand at once, and the new things themselves must also go through a lengthy and thorough scrutiny and testing before they can be proved true. A newly produced medicine, must it not be tested for a time? Evolution cannot be an exception. To use evolution to explain the Bible cannot be an exception either; if it meets with opposition, that is not something surprising.

2) To Move Forward with Firm Step

As regards the question of religious faith and the whole question of the Church, hasty action is certainly not possible, nor is it possible to go back on one's word or make unpredictable changes. Therefore, the Church is always prudent and earnest, it goes through lengthy study, consultation and consideration before it can make the final decision.

To beatify or canonize someone requires a lengthy period of investigation and thorough discussion.

The miracles worked at Lourdes have to be thoroughly observed, diagnosed, the illness must not recur for at least two years after being cured, solemn procedures must have been carried out before it is officially proclaimed as a miracle.

Our Lady's appearances at Lourdes and at Fatima had to go through lengthy investigation and study before they were recognized by the Church. The miraculous events at Zose, the Church also must submit to lengthy investigation and study.

Fr. Teilhard's explanations took a period of time before they received a just and due evaluation on the part of the Church. (Fr. Teilhard's courageous spirit of scientific investigation was highly praised by the present Pope in June 1981.)

3) Evolution and Religion

When Darwin founded evolution, from first to last he retained his religious faith and was a believer in God. Natural selection, the survival of the fittest in no way contradicted the position of religion.

However, the article published in the periodical Daziran by Zhen Shuonan and Huang Weiwen has as sub-title, "The French Palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin in China" but the main title is "The Exiled Priest".

It is written in the article: "He superstitiously believed in the error that 'God made man', but also accepted the truth of evolution. The idealist world-view of the Catholic and the materialist attitude towards research of the scientist led to the clash of extreme contradictions in the person of Teilhard de Chardin. But after all he is a specialist in the study of natural history, his object of study－fossils－is the direct proof of the evolution of living things.

Therefore, at the same time as he was propagating Catholic doctrine to the members of the Church he was also propagating some aspects of evolution. This was considered by the Church to be 'rebellion and sedition' and his right to work as a priest in France was withdrawn. In 1925 Teilhard was exiled and came back again to China…

Because he had a tendency towards "evolution", Fr. Teilhard had his right to work as a priest in France withdrawn and he was exiled in 1926.

Is Fr. Teilhard another Galileo?

As to this matter, how is it to be understood and dealt with correctly?

The Church (the Bible) propagates to men God's holy Word, the work of redemption, and does not directly discuss science. What the Church emphasizes is: All things have a first origin, all things have a creator, man is composed of soul and body. So long as science does not deny these points, as regards the description and explanation of the earliest period of the universe and the human race, the Church gives complete freedom and certainly does not interfere. Religion and science each has its own domain!

4) Fr. Teilhard was a Good Priest and a Good Religious

Other people have availed of this opportunity to attack the Church for exiling Fr. Teilhard and say that he is the Galileo of the twentieth century who suffered and was banned for science. In his person it could again be seen that the Church is behind the times, opposes science and obstructs progress.

But what about Fr. Teilhard himself? He knew that the new ideas would not be accepted at once, but would have to go through a period of misunderstanding, prejudice and lack of trust. He happily left France in 1926 and came to northern China. If this unpleasant thing had not happened and he had not come to China, there would also have been no discovery of "Peking Man", it would have been a very great loss for the science of anthropology. "When the old frontiersman lost his horse, who could have known that it was a blessing in disguise?" From an unfortunate affair to get such a startling benefit! The plans and arrangements of the Lord, how great and marvellous they are, making man gasp with astonishment and utter praise! Fr. Teilhard de Chardin could humbly follow God's will, blaming neither God nor man, "He has regarded his low estate…He who is mighty has done great things for me…henceforth all generations will "nil me blessed."

* Translator's Note:

Fr. F.X. Zhu Shude earned a Ph.D. in Geography from the Sorbonne, Paris, in 1949. Arrested in his native Shanghai in 1953, he spent almost 30 years in prisons and labour camps until his death on 29 Dec., 1983. He had been released briefly in 1980-81. This article appear「哲學與文化」(Universitas), No. 102 (Nov. 1982), pp. 759-765, and is translated here by the editor's kind permission. Mr. M. S. Cheung of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, has kindly helped to interpret certain expressions.