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Vatican: It’s OK to believe in aliens

By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer Tue May 13, 4:07 PM ET

VATICAN CITY - Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
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The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

“How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?” Funes said. “Just as we consider earthly creatures as ‘a brother,’ and ’sister,’ why should we not talk about an ‘extraterrestrial brother’? It would still be part of creation.”

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion “doesn’t contradict our faith” because aliens would still be God’s creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like “putting limits” on God’s creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined “The extraterrestrial is my brother,” covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible “is not a science book,” Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most “reasonable” explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that “God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance.”

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo’s persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has “caused wounds.”

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

“The church has somehow recognized its mistakes,” he said. “Maybe it could have done it better, but now it’s time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration.”

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from “tragic mutual incomprehension.”

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world’s best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

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CINCINNATI - A man ordered by a judge to make sure his daughter studied has found himself in jail because she failed to earn a high school equivalency diploma.

Brian Gegner, who lives near Cincinnati, was sentenced last week to 180 days in jail for contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor.

He was ordered months ago to make sure his 18-year-old daughter Brittany Gegner, who has a history of truancy, received the diploma known as GED — something that hasn’t happened yet.

Brittany Gegner, who said Monday that she plans to take a required GED test this month, said her father shouldn’t be blamed for her failure because she has been living with her mother.

“It was my wrongdoing, not his,” said Brittany Gegner, whose fiance and 18-month-old daughter also live at her mother’s home. “He shouldn’t have to go to jail for something I did.”

Her mother agrees.

“Brittany is almost 19 years old now and I think it’s unfair to put her father in jail,” said Shana Roach. “She’s an adult now, and it’s not right to rip an innocent man from his home.”

Juvenile Court administrator Rob Clevenger Jr. said Monday that the court still has jurisdiction in the case because Brittany Gegner was a juvenile when the truancy problems began and when the charge against Brian Gegner was filed in 2007.

A hearing on a motion filed by Brian Gegner’s attorney to reconsider the sentence is scheduled for Friday. Messages seeking comment were not returned Monday at the offices of defense attorney Tamara Sack and the prosecutor.

Brian Gegner’s wife, Stephanie Gegner, said she and her husband are afraid he will lose his job if he remains in jail. She said they tried to keep his daughter in school.

“You’d take her to school and she’d go out the other door,” Stephanie Gegner said.

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It is strictly forbidden to moser [inform the civil authorities on] either a Jewish person or his property. One who mosers a Jewish person or his property has no share in the world to come. (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 388)

Quote:
Jewish code snarls probe into Crown Heights attack

BY LARRY McSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, May 9th 2008, 4:00 AM

Long before the first rapper stopped snitching or any Mafiosi swore an oath of omertà, there was the Jewish law of mesira.

The tenet that forbids Jews from informing on fellow Jews is one of the hurdles facing Brooklyn prosecutors probing the April 14 attack on a black man by two Jewish men, sources told the Daily News.

Authorities - invoking a complaint long cited in cases involving rappers - said the initial probe was hindered by the local Hasidim’s refusal to cooperate.

One source suggested the Orthodox community was taking a page from the rap world’s “stop snitching” handbook. But it was actually lifted directly from the Code of Jewish Law.

“The Hebrew word is mesira, which means basically you are not allowed to be an informant,” said Rabbi Shea Hecht, a well-known figure in Crown Heights.

“In essence, I am not allowed to snitch, period.”

The attack in Crown Heights led Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes to empanel an investigative grand jury to try to shake loose reluctant witnesses. It’s the same technique prosecutors tried unsuccessfully in the slaying of rapper Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard in 2006.

Rhymes and about 50 other witnesses refused to cooperate with cops. Their decision was based on street cred. The slaying remains unsolved.

When college student Andrew Charles was attacked in Crown Heights by two men wearing yarmulkes last month, police quickly identified a suspect - the driver of the getaway SUV.

Menachem Ezagui came to the 71st Precinct stationhouse with a lawyer after the vehicle was discovered. Police sources said he refused to answer any questions.

Charles, 20, the son of a city cop, was walking on Albany Ave. when a bicycle-riding assailant sprayed him with Mace. The SUV then pulled up, with a second man jumping out to smash the college sophomore twice with a nightstick, police said.

Cops have made no arrests. A lawyer sought to broker a deal that would have led two Jewish suspects to surrender on reduced charges. Sources said the district attorney’s office rejected the deal, insisting the attack was too severe.

According to Hecht, mesira is not an all-encompassing concept - common sense supersedes the law, as does the responsibility of preventing injury to others. “You’re not allowed to stand on the blood of your brother,” he said.

That comes with a loophole, too. If Jews are convinced that one of their own will not get a fair shake from authorities, they have no obligation to cooperate.

“There are double standards - sometimes they work to your advantage,” Hecht said. “To think there’s no political element to justice in America would be foolish.”

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LUTZ, Fla. — A mother and her two young children found dead in a mobile home north of Tampa had been mutilated and dismembered, authorities said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said on Tuesday that one body had been decapitated at the home in Lutz. The bodies were found on Monday morning.

Neighbor Tim Kelly told WTSP-TV that he heard a woman screaming outside of the victims’ mobile home.

“She was screaming, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead,’” Kelly said.

The victims were identified as Lisa Freiberg, 26, her 7-year-old son Zachary and her 2-year-old daughter Heather Savannah. The family’s dog also was killed.

Gee said more than one weapon was used, but no further information was released.

A man identified as Freiberg’s live-in boyfriend was found hiding in a closet in the home. His name is not yet known.

Gee said the man had ingested an unknown substance and was hospitalized for treatment.

No one has been charged.

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