Does Catholic faith contradict modern science or evolution?
No. The Catholic Church has always maintained that genuine science and Christian faith cannot truly contradict one another. Both seek the truth, and the God who created the natural universe is the very same God who gave us the light of faith.
Science investigates how the physical world operates and how natural systems develop over time. Faith reveals the ultimate origin, meaning and destiny of the universe. When science conducts research with integrity and within ethical limits, it uncovers the marvellous order of God's handiwork.
Catholics are entirely free to accept evidence-based scientific theories, such as biological evolution or the Big Bang theory (which was initially formulated by a Catholic priest, Georges Lemaître). The Church simply insists that God is the author of creation and that the spiritual soul of every human being is created immediately by God.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 159
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 283
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.