The Pope's chief astronomer has said he does not think that the search for extraterrestrial life in the universe contradicts Christian beliefs.
'As an astronomer I continue to believe that God is the creator of the universe,' Jose Gabriel Funes said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper, l'Osservatore Romano.
He said that even though there is no proof at present, the hypothesis of alien life could not be ruled out.
Fr Funes, a Jesuit priest, directs the Vatican's observatory at Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence outside Rome.
'Just as there are a plethora of creatures on Earth, there could be others, equally intelligent, created by God,' he said.
