The Vatican Astronomer Who Would Baptize Aliens

The Catholic Church's top astronomer says extraterrestrials would be children of God.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm Darren Marler, and this is weird dark news. The
Catholic Church has been studying the stars since the sixteenth century.
Now its newest astronomer is ready to welcome beings from
those stars into the Catholic Faith. Father Richard Desusa took
over as Director of the Vatican Observatory in September twenty
twenty five, with Pope Leo the fourteenth making the appointment.

(00:35):
His path to the position started in a way most
scientists never experience. He was born in Puna, India in
nineteen seventy eight, joined the Society of Jesus in nineteen
ninety six, and became a Jesuit priest in twenty eleven.
Between his birth and his entry into the Jesuits, his
family faced upheavele that would shape his perspective on the world.

(00:55):
In nineteen ninety, when Father Desusa was twelve years old,
his family had to flee Kuwait during the Gulf War.
They spent three weeks in a refugee camp in Jordan
before they could return to India. Everything they owned fit
into a few bags. The experience left marks that stayed
with him into adulthood, giving him what he describes as
a particular understanding of how voladil the Middle East can be.

(01:18):
His academic journey took him from Saint Xavier's College in Mumbai,
where he earned a bachelor's degree in physics, to the
University of Heidelberg in Germany for a master's degree. At Heidelberg,
he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. He
finished his doctorate in astronomy at Ludwig Maximilian University in
Munich in twenty sixteen. His research zero's in on what

(01:39):
happens when galaxies merge, in how those ancient collisions affect
galaxies we see today, including the Milky Way. The way
Father de Susa describes his work makes it sound almost archaeological.
He studies the outer stellar halos of galaxies, which are
essentially the remnants left behind after cosmic crashes that happened
billions of years ago. By exam these halos, he can

(02:01):
piece together the history of how galaxies accumulated mass over time.
Much of his attention is focused on Andromeda, Earth's neighboring galaxy.
The stars that fell into androma from other galaxies during
mergers act like clues, revealing events that took place across
unimaginable stretches of time. He calls himself a galactic archaeologist,

(02:21):
which fits. Just as archaeologists dig through layers of earth
to understand human history, Father Desusa examines layers of starlight
to understand galactic history. The difference is that his archaeological
sites are millions of light years away. In twenty twelve,
two of his colleagues, Kay Cernus and RP. Boyle discovered
an asteroid using the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope on Mount Graham.

(02:45):
They named it two seven three nine seven Desusa. The
rock measures roughly the size of Manhattan and makes its
orbit in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Getting
an asteroid named after you that requires patients. The object
has to be observed long enough for astronomers to determine
its orbit with precision, which can take several years. Only

(03:06):
after that does it receive a permanent designation number, and
only then can the discoverer suggest a name for approval.
Father Desusa noted something interesting about the naming convention in astronomy.
Asteroids stand alone as the only celestial objects that can
be named after people. He has discovered galaxies during his
research but the rules prevent him from naming them after

(03:28):
himself or anyone else. Those conventions exist for good reasons,
but they create an odd situation where a priest can
have his name attached to a space rock, but not
to an entire galaxy. He joins a group of more
than thirty Jesuits who've had asteroids named in their honor.
Other Deseusa doesn't dance around the big question. He acknowledges
straightaway that discovering intelligent extraterrestrial life would shake both religion

(03:52):
and human history to their foundations. The implications would force
theology to reconsider fundamental assumptions about creation and humanity's place
in it. Religions would need to reimagine themselves to account
for the existence of other intelligent beings. His position remains
clear despite these complications. Extraterrestrials would be a part of

(04:14):
God's creation that makes them children of God. As children
of God, they would be entitled to join the faith.
So yes, he would perform an alien baptism. The practical
obstacles present their own challenges. The Catholic Church requires baptism
to be conducted in person, not remotely. That creates an
obvious logistical problem. When dealing with beings from another star system,

(04:38):
the question becomes how humans would physically reach them or
how they would reach us. Those are not trivial problems
to solve. Space travel across interstellar distances remains firmly in
the realm of theoretical physics until somebody figures out faster
than light travel or generational ships that can function for centuries.
Baptizing aliens would require the aliens to come to and

(05:01):
if they have that technology, the power dynamic shifts considerably. Still,
Father de Susa frames these as solvable logistical problems rather
than theological impossibilities. The mechanics of reaching each other would
need to be worked out before any baptismal ceremony could happen,
but the theological framework already exists to welcome them. Father

(05:22):
de Susa has built an impressive scientific career. He's published
in numerous international scientific journals and maintains membership in several
international collaborations, including the International Astronomical Union. His appointment as
director came after a brother, Guy Consolmanio, an American Jesuit
from Detroit, completed his ten year mandate in September twenty

(05:42):
twenty five, Father de Susa became the first Indian to
hold the position, the fact that generated considerable pride in
his homeland. Father de Susa isn't breaking new ground by
discussing alien baptism. Vatican astronomers have been engaging with these
questions for decades, though their openness about it might surprise
people who assume religious institutions would find extraterrestrial life threatening.

(06:05):
Back in two thousand and eight, Jesuit Father Jose Funyas
served as director of the Vatican Observatory. In an interview
with lozer Vetti Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaper, Father Funya's
made an argument that caught attention worldwide. He said Christians
should think of alien life as an extraterrestrial brother and
recognize it as part of God's creation. He was building

(06:26):
on ideas from Saint Francis A Fassisi, who called earthly
creatures brothers and sisters. If that framework works for animals
on Earth, why wouldn't it extend to intelligent beings from
other worlds. Father Funya's went further, suggesting that extraterrestrial beings
might not need redemption at all. They could have remained
in full friendship with their creator. He referenced the Gospel

(06:49):
parable of the Lost Sheep, where the shepherd leaves ninety
nine sheep to search for the one that wandered off.
Humanity might be that one lost sheep the sinners who
need a pastor, while other intelligent beings might represent the
ninety nine who never strayed. The theory posits humans as
spiritually exceptional, but not necessarily in a flattering way. Brother

(07:11):
Guy Consalmonio, who served as director immediately before Father Desusa,
told us Catholic Magazine back in two thousand and two
that he would happily baptize aliens if they wanted it.
He put it simply, any entity has a soul, regardless
of how many tentacles it has. That straightforward acceptance reflects
a broader pattern in Vatican Observatory thinking. The Observatory itself

(07:33):
dates back to eighteen ninety one, when Pope Leo the
thirteenth issued a document called Utmisticam. The Pope laid out
the mission clearly. The Observatory would demonstrate that the Church
and her leaders are not opposed to true and solid science,
whether human or divine. Instead, they embrace it, encourage it,
and promote it with full dedication. Pope's actually had observatories

(07:56):
built to the Vatican much earlier, going back to the
sixteenth century. They needed to understand the cosmic calendar to
establish dates for Easter that would be recognized everywhere. Eighteen
ninety one places the observatory's founding at a moment when
tensions between science and religion were running high in Europe.
The Church had been criticized at the time for its

(08:16):
historical treatment of scientists, particularly Galileo. Establishing a serious astronomical
research institution sent a message about the Church's commitment to
scientific inquiry. Today, Vatican Observatory astronomers pursue an impressively broad
research agenda. They research meteorites, near Earth objects, planets, extrasolar

(08:37):
planetary systems, stars and stellar structures, galaxies, cosmology, quantum gravity,
and the Big Bang. That range covers everything from rocks
falling to Earth to the origin of the universe itself.
The Vatican Observatory operates within a long Jesuit tradition. Jesuit
spirituality is incarnational, meaning it emphasizes God's presence in the physis,

(09:01):
and that leads to a core principle, find God in
all things. For a Jesuit scientist, studying the universe becomes
a way of understanding creation. The telescope doesn't threaten faith,
it deepens it by revealing more of what exists to
be marveled at. Father de Susa points out something that
often gets overlooked in debates about science and religion. The

(09:22):
Big Bang theory came from a Belgian Catholic priest named
Father Jorges Lebaitda, who proposed it in nineteen twenty seven.
Atheist scientists initially belittled his ideas. The stereotype of religious
figures opposing scientific progress flips entirely. In this case, a
priest developed the theory that explained the origin of the universe,

(09:44):
and secular scientists resisted it. Father de Susa frames his
own position carefully. Science cannot prove that God exists. Science
also cannot exclude the possibility that God exists. This leaves
the question in the territory of faith rather than empirical investigation.
He believes in a benevolent creator behind everything, but he

(10:06):
arrived at that belief through faith, not through his research
on galaxy mergers. The Observatory maintains its place in international
scientific collaborations. These projects often involve hundreds of scientists working
with instruments that cost millions of euros. Vatican astronomers can
tribute alongside researchers from secular institutions, participating in the same

(10:28):
peer review process and publishing in the same journals. Their
religious affiliation doesn't separate them from mainstream science. If anything,
it adds another dimension to their work. The original observatory
in Castel Gondolfo hasn't been used for serious scientific observations
since the nineteen eighties. Rome's urban sprawl and light pollution

(10:48):
made it impractical. Now, Vatican astronomers do much of their
work near Tucson, Arizona, using the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.
The move from Italy to the Arizona Desert was practical
rather than symbolic, but it illustrates how the institution adapts
to changing conditions while maintaining its core mission. Father Desusa

(11:08):
makes a prediction about the timeline for discovering extraterrestrial life.
He expects scientists will determine whether alien life exists sometime
within the next thirty years. His reasoning comes down to
the pace of technological advancement. Science is pushing hard toward
that goal, developing new instruments and methods that can detect
biosignatures across vast distances. He separates two questions that often

(11:33):
get conflated. First, does life exist elsewhere? Second? Is that
life intelligent? The first question might get answered relatively soon,
the second remains much more uncertain. He notes something that
tempers enthusiasm about imminent contact. Humans have been looking for
signals from outer space for decades. Over the last thirty years,

(11:55):
none have been found. The silence doesn't prove anything definitive
space is incomprehensibly vast, and our listening has covered only
a tiny fraction of it. But the absence of detected
signals so far suggests that if intelligent life exists out there,
it either isn't broadcasting, isn't close enough for us to hear,

(12:15):
or exists in a form we haven't thought to look for.
Father Funiez, in his two thousand and eight interview, described
how astronomers were already actively seeking biomarkers in the spectrum
analysis of other stars and planets. These potential forms of
life might not resemble Earth life at all. That could
include organisms that have no need for oxygen or hydrogen
that widens the search considerably, but also makes it a

(12:38):
lot more complex. Looking for life that resembles Earth life
that provides clear targets for us, Looking for any possible
form of life requiring imagining biochemistries that might function on
completely different principles, good luck with that. The Catholic Church's
approach to these questions emphasizes intellectual curiosity over defensiveness, and

(13:00):
Vatican astronomers acknowledge that discovering extraterrestrial life that would raise
some profound questions. They don't claim to have all the
answers worked out in advance, but they maintain that such
a discovery would not invalidate the fundamental truths of their faith. Instead,
it would expand the context in which those truths need
to be understood. This represents a significant shift from historical

(13:22):
patterns religious institutions have sometimes responded to scientific discoveries by
feeling threatened. The initial reaction to heliocentrism, to evolution, to
the age of the Earth all followed patterns of resistance
before eventual acceptance by most but not all. Vatican astronomers
are trying to get ahead of that pattern with extraterrestrial life.

(13:44):
By engaging with the question now while it remains hypothetical,
they're building a theological framework that can accommodate the discovery
If it happens. The discovery would invite deeper reflection on
several concepts that sit at the heart of Catholic theology.
The universality of God's love, the infinite scope of creation,
the cosmic significance of religious truth. These ideas already exist

(14:07):
within church teaching, but they would need to be reconsidered
and expanded to account for intelligent beings that developed entirely
separately from humanity. Father Desus's role places him at a
unique intersection. He spends his days analyzing data from telescopes,
studying how galaxies formed billions of years ago. He publishes

(14:28):
in peer reviewed journals, and collaborates with astronomers from around
the world. He also serves as a priest, guiding a
religious community and considering theological questions. His willingness to baptize
an alien isn't a publicity stunt or a thought experiment.
It reflects the Vatican's genuine commitment to engaging with questions
that previous generations could barely imagine asking The Vatican Observatory

(14:53):
employs professional astronomers doing real science a contribute to humanity's
understanding of the universe, and they remain ready to adjust
their theological frameworks if the universe turns out to be
even stranger and more populated than we currently imagine. The
question of whether we're alone in the universe still remains unanswered,
but if that answer eventually turns out to be no,

(15:16):
the Catholic Church as astronomers prepared to think through what
that means, both scientifically and spiritually, and at least one
of those astronomers has already decided that, yeah, he performed
a baptism for a being from the stars, logistics permitting.
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(15:37):
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