- Article
- 11 pages (6000 words)
- Level: university
In 1950, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical about the origins of man which affirmed that “The Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.”
Below is a copy of the official English translation of the full encyclical. Click here for a link to the Latin version.
[Click here to download PDF]
Humani Generis (August 12, 1950) | PIUS XII
