迎接外星人，梵蒂冈在行动

　　最近翻拍的“V星入侵”想必大家有所了解了，其中第一集有这么一段对话。对话发生在牧师Jack和一个老神父之间，发生在外星飞船遍布于全球之后（妈的，就是没有中国）。

　　Jack： We are all God’s creatures？ That’s how the Vatican explains the existence of aliens？我们都是上帝的造物？梵蒂冈就是这样解释外星人的？

　　Father：Yes. 恩呢。

　　Jack： They decided that in a day？ 一天内就有说法了？

　　Father： Yes. 恩呢。

　　Jack： Rattlesnakes are God’s creatures too. Doesn’t mean they are good for us. 响尾蛇也他妈是上帝造的，它对我们可一点都不友好。

　　Father： Have faith in our leaders， Jack.  要对我们的领袖有点信心，jack。

　　Jack： I do， father. It’s just that there’s not a lot of scripture on the subject. 我有啊，只不过圣经上可没多少关于外星人的内容。

　　Father： Meaning？ 你的意思是？

　　Jack： I am at a loss to explain how God and aliens exist in the same world.我不知道该怎么解释上帝和外星人同时存在于一个世界。

　　大家看了下面这篇报道就应该知道，梵蒂冈绝对不是一天之内就有了说法的，他们等待很久了。这是一篇今年11月12日的新闻。

　　另外，我只是翻译了一篇新闻报道而已，不是逼大家相信，不信的不要骂我，不希望发生我在外星人吧的遭遇：有人诅咒我说如果年底奥巴马年底不公布外星人的话我就死全家。我靠，我只不过翻译了篇文章，有必要这么邪恶的诅咒吗？？？大家都是人类，为什么就有人骂人那么狠…

　　The Vatican has just completed a five day conference astrobiology where scientists convened to discuss the detection and implications of extraterrestrial life. A major driving force behind the conference was the Director of the Vatican Observatory， the Jesuit priest Father Jose Gabriel Funes. In May 2008， Funes gave an interview to the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper saying that the existence of intelligent extraterrestrials posed no problems to Catholic theology. The conference itself was officially convened by the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences， chaired by its religious leader Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo， and was held on private Vatican grounds from November 6-10. Together with Funes’ 2008 interview and subsequent public comments by him， the conference demonstrates a welcome openness by the Vatican on the possibility and implications of extraterrestrial life.  The Vatican’s openness to discussion of extraterrestrial life is no accident. It is part of an openness policy secretly adopted by the United Nations in February 2008. In fact， the Vatican is playing a leading role in preparing the world for extraterrestrial disclosure.

　　梵蒂冈刚刚结束了一个为期五天的关于天体生物的会议，科学家们聚到一起讨论外星生命的发现以及这意味着什么。会议背后的主推手是梵蒂冈天文台主管，神父 Jose Gabriel Funes。2008年5月，Funes跟媒体Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper做过访谈，他说外星生命的存在跟天主教信仰并不抵触。本次会议由梵蒂冈教宗科学院召集，由主教Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo主持，于11月6-10日于梵蒂冈召开。本次会议，加上08年Funes的表态以及随后公众对他的评论，表明梵蒂冈对外星人的存在及潜在影响持公开的欢迎态度。这并不意外，梵蒂冈的表态其实是一个更大的目前秘密进行中的政府公开政策的一部分，据悉，政府公开政策于08年2月的一次联合国密会上被采纳。事实上，在使公众对公布外星人的存在做好心理准备的努力中，梵蒂冈起到关键作用。

　　For most observers， the conference was an innovative scientific gathering sanctioned by the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences to show the Holy See’s support for modern science in the detection of extraterrestrial life. The conference primarily focused on the detection of primitive extraterrestrial life forms， and featured presentations from nearly 30 international experts in astronomy， physics and biology. Marc Kaufman from the Washington Post reports：

　　Scientists (many of them nonbelievers) are offering presentations on subjects as varied as how life might have begun on Earth； what newly found "extremophile" microbes living in harsh places on our planet might tell us about possible life on others； and how life forms might be detected in our solar system， or how their bio-signatures might be found on and around the many distant exoplanets.

　　对大多数观察家来说，本次会议是由梵蒂冈教宗科学院支持的一次力求创新的科学集会，旨在表明教宗对现代科学以及外星文明的支持。会议主要集中讨论了原始外星生命形式的探索，大约三十名国际专家发表了陈述，专家们来自天文、物理、生物等各个领域。华盛顿邮报的Marc Kaufman报道说：科学家们（其中很多不是宗教信仰者）就各种话题进行了陈述，涉及到生命起源、新近发现的生存环境险恶的“极端微生物”给予我们的关于外星生物的启发、如何发现太阳系的生命形式、如何发现系外行星的生命等。（个人认为梵蒂冈关于本次会议的对外口径肯定不会说我们是在准备欢迎外星智能生命，所以他们会说他们讨论的是外星生命信号问题，非地球的极端微生物问题。）

　　Discussion of the implications of intelligent extraterrestrial life， both scientific and theological， did not appear prominently in the conference agenda. One of the presenters， however， Prof Paul Davies commented on the religious implications of discovering intelligent extraterrestrial life： "If you look back at the history of Christian debate on this， it divides into two camps. There are those that believe that it is human destiny to bring salvation to the aliens， and those who believe in multiple incarnations，" Davies pointed out that the multiple incarnations theory， the idea that multiple examples of Jesus Christ would be found in the universe “is a heresy in Catholicism."

　　在本次会议上，外星智能生命（作为外星非智能生命的对应）的讨论，并没有受到与会者无论是科学层面还是神学意义上的特别强调。与会者之一保罗戴维斯教授（如果是英国著名理论物理学家保罗戴维斯的话，那么此次会议就真的够级别了，个人觉得这位教授的水平不比霍金差多少，曾经看过他的科普读物《上帝与新物理学》，书中他大谈科学与宗教，读来很畅快）评论了外星智能生命的宗教意义，他说：“如果回顾一下基督教的辩论史，会看到两个派别，一方会认为将救赎带给外星人是人类的使命，还有一些人信奉多体基督理论（multiple incarnations不知道该怎么翻译，应该不是多位一体的意思）。戴维斯指出这种多体基督理论，即认为宇宙中存在基督的多种存在形式，是天主教中的异端邪说。

　　The Vatican， through Funes， is supporting the idea that the incarnation of Christ is a unique event in Earth’s history tied in to humanity’s ‘fall’ and ‘original sin’. This idea was a major focus in Father Funes’ May 2008 interview which was titled "The extraterrestrial is my brother." Funes said that intelligent extraterrestrial life may not have experienced a ‘fall’， and may be “free from Original Sin … [remaining] in full friendship with their creator.” This makes it possible to regard them as ‘our brothers’ as Funes explained：

　　Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth， there can be other beings， even intelligent， created by God. This is not in contrast with our faith because we can't put limits on God's creative freedom… "Why can't we speak of a 'brother extraterrestrial'？ It would still be part of creation…

　　通过神父Funes，梵蒂冈支持这种理论，即基督现世属地球特例，这与人类的堕落和原罪拴在了一起。这种观点是Funes神父08年题为“外星人是我的兄弟”的访谈的主要基调。神父说外星生命可能没有经历堕落，或许也就免于原罪…….所以他们跟他们的造物主保持绝对的友好关系（in full friendship with their creator）。神父继续解释说，这让我们视他们为兄弟成为可能：正如地球上生命形式颇多一样，其他生命形式，甚至是智能的，当然也会可能由上帝创造出来。这与我们的信仰不违背，因为我们不能限制上帝的创造自由。…….为什么就不能说“一个外星人兄弟”这样的话呢？他也是造物啊…..

　　Most importantly， Funes’ statement makes possible the idea that Christianity can be exported to extraterrestrial worlds that have not experienced a ‘fall’ and are free from original sin.

　　最重要的是，神父的话说明向那些没有经历堕落和免于原罪的外星世界输出基督教是可能的。（个人认为传教士们真是太敬业了，他们不是在传教就是走在去传教的路上）

　　The Vatican’s new openness on extraterrestrial life is consistent with reports of secret discussions held at the United Nations that began in February 2008. The Vatican’s permanent representative to the UN， Archbishop Celestino Migliore， was reported to have attended along with a number of other prominent government officials to discuss increased UFO sightings and the implications of extraterrestrial visitation. Significantly， Migliore's position requires that he maintains close relations with the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences. At the time of the secret UN discussions， Migliore made a presentation on moral issues associated with scientific problems such as climate change. Most importantly， the UN discussions reportedly led to a new policy of openness being adopted by approximately 30 nations that would begin in 2009.

　　梵蒂冈对外星人的最新的公开态度与关于08年2月联合国密会的报道一致。据称，梵蒂冈常驻联合国代表，大主教Celestino Migliore，与其他显要政府官员参与讨论了日益增多的UFO目击事件以及外星人到访的社会意义问题。Migliore的地位让他和梵蒂冈教宗科学院关系甚密。在联合国密会上，Migliore作了关于科学问题比如气候变暖等道义问题的报告。最重要的是，据称，联合国密会达成了一项新的公开政策，大约30个国家于09年将开始执行。

　　Another noteworthy participant reported to have attended the 2008 UN discussions was Britain’s Permanent representative at the time， Sir John Sawers. Sawers was later appointed to head Britain’s prestigious foreign intelligence service MI6. The appointment of a diplomat to head an intelligence service was highly unusual. According to a BBC report： “giving the job to someone more recently associated with diplomatic service was regarded as a break from the tradition.” Seen in the context of the February UN meetings， perhaps MI6 was acknowledging the need for greater diplomacy in dealing with problems posed by a new openness policy on UFOs， and eventual disclosure of extraterrestrial life.

　　另一个参与联合国密会的重要人物是英国常驻联合国代表约翰？索沃斯爵士。索沃斯随后被任命为英国声名卓着的秘密情报局（军情六处）局长。任命一位外交官为情报局长是非比寻常的。BBC说：任命一位最近一直从事外交的人员担任情报长官是对传统的背离。结合联合国2月会议来考虑，或许是因为军情六处以后在处理UFO公开和最终的外星人公布等问题上需要索沃斯的外交手段。

　　The Vatican sponsored astrobiology conference was a landmark event. It showed that the Vatican was willing to officially sanction public discussions on the existence of extraterrestrial life. More significantly， it showed that the Vatican was willing to initiate a comprehensive dialogue on the theological implications of the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The Vatican’s astrobiology conference is yet one more sign that major global institutions are preparing for some kind of formal disclosure concerning UFOs and/or extraterrestrial life. This is a direct outcome of a series of landmark meetings at the UN beginning in February 2008 that led to the adoption of a new openness policy.

　　本次由梵蒂冈发起的天体生物学会议是一个里程碑事件，表明梵蒂冈愿意公开支持对于外星生命的讨论。更重要的是，它表明梵蒂冈有意愿发起一个更加综合的对话，探讨发现外星文明的神学意义。梵蒂冈天体生物学会议还暗示着全球主要机构都在对公开UFO和外星生命做准备，这些准备是继2月密会后联合国一系列标志性事件的直接结果，这些事件达成了一项新的公开政策。

　　After more than a year of openness， the Vatican is taking the openness policy to a new level， and preparing the public for some kind of formal extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Numerous independent sources have predicted such disclosure is imminent， and that the Obama administration is expected to play a prominent role. The Vatican is also positioning itself to play a major role in such an announcement and in a post-disclosure world. Its emerging theological position that extraterrestrials “are our brothers” is a welcome departure from more hostile depictions of extraterrestrial life found in some religious denominations and in Hollywood movies. On the other hand， the idea that the Vatican could justify sending missionaries to convert extraterrestrials born without original sin， does raise major concerns. The Vatican， nevertheless， is currently playing a constructive role in preparing the public for the imminent disclosure of extraterrestrial life.

　　达成公开政策之后一年有余（即本次会议的召开），梵蒂冈将公开政策推向了一个新水平，使公众准备好面对某种形式的外星文明正式公开。无数的消息来源都在表明公开即将到来，而奥巴马政府将是其中的主角。梵蒂冈也在调整自己的立场和定位，它将在公布外星文明和公布后的世界中担当重要角色。梵蒂冈最新的“外星人是我们的兄弟”的友好神学立场是对那些外星人负面形象的疏远，这些对于外星人的负面形象可以在一些宗教派别和好莱坞电影中看到。另一方面，梵蒂冈认为派传教士向这些生来没有原罪的外星人传教是有道理的，而这的确是个值得关注的话题。不管怎么说，梵蒂冈在使公众对即将发生的公布外星人存在做好准备方面正履行一个建设性的角色。

　　（还有一篇华盛顿邮报对本次天体生物学会议的报道正在翻译中）