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Editor's note:
If intelligent life were to be discovered beyond Earth, would it shatter religious traditions?
Roughly a third of the way into Steven Spielberg’s new blockbuster film “Disclosure Day,” which focuses on the theoretical release of evidence documenting the existence of alien life, a conversation between the two main characters turns toward that spiritual question.
But for all the profound implications of intelligent extraterrestrial life, experts told RNS national reporter Jack Jenkins the possibility is far less bracing for many religious practitioners across the globe. In fact, scholars argue many major faith groups have not only been thinking about the prospect of aliens for some time, but some have outlined extensive theological answers to the question of extraterrestrial life – or even fully embraced the idea.
Religion News
Pope promotes Italian nun to top migrant role in his first major appointment of a woman to Holy See
Pope Leo XIV has promoted Italian Sister Alessandra Smerilli to head the Vatican office responsible for migrants, the environment and development. By The Associated Press
San Francisco archdiocese agrees to settle child sex abuse lawsuits
The Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to pay $395 million to settle over 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials. By Olga R. Rodriguez/The Associated Press
'As crazy as it sounds, God used virtual reality to call someone into that space to lay out the gospel in its fullness,' said Stewart Freeman, a former heavy VRChat user who rediscovered his faith through virtual reality. By Fiona Murphy/Religion News Service
Vatican declares ultraconservative society in schism, excommunicates bishops and warns faithful
The Vatican responded aggressively to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent, excommunicating priests in the Society of St. Pius X. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
Four key takeaways from Trump's Religious Liberty Commission Report
The advisory commission’s 224-page draft report includes some controversial recommendations. By David Katibah/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
Muslims were woven into both America’s founding population and its labor force, writes a scholar of Islam on the nation’s 250th anniversary. By Iqbal Akhtar for The Conversation
The new bestseller has been criticized for having a shallow understanding of religion. I disagree. 'Yesteryear' depicts how shallow American religion has actually become. By Jana Riess/Religion News Service
American courts have heard cases over the Bible's role in classrooms for more than a century. Whether lessons are constitutional depends on their purpose. By Charles J. Russo for The Conversation
William Tyndale’s translation, published in 1526, was based on a then-radical idea: Anyone should be able to read the Bible in their own language. By Michael Bruening for The Conversation
Newly consecrated bishops, starting second from left, Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, wearing their miters and holding their pastoral staffs, pray at the end of their consecration ceremony in a tent set up outside the Society of St. Pius X seminary in Econe, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
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