VATICAN: Philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals close to Pope Benedict will gather at his summer palace outside Rome this week for intensive discussions that could herald a fundamental shift in the Vatican's view of evolution.
There have been growing signs the Pope is considering aligning the Catholic church more closely with the theory of "intelligent design" taught in some US states.
Advocates of the theory argue that some features of the universe and nature are so complex that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence. Critics say it is merely a disguise for "creationism" - a literal belief in the Bible's account.
A prominent anti-evolutionist and Roman Catholic scientist, Dominique Tassot, told the US National Catholic Reporter that this week's meeting was "to give a broader extension to the debate. Even if [ the Pope] knows where he wants to go, and I believe he does, it will take time. Most Catholic intellectuals today are convinced that evolution is obviously true because most scientists say so."
In 1996, in what was seen as an unconditional capitulation to scientific orthodoxy, Pope John Paul II declared that Darwin's theories were "more than a hypothesis".
Last week, at a conference in Rimini, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Austria said evolution and creation had been chosen as subjects for this year's meeting of the Pope's Schulerkreis - a group consisting mainly of his former doctoral students.
Apart from Cardinal Schonborn, participants at the closed-door meeting will include: president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Peter Schuster; the conservative ethical philosopher Robert Spaemann; and Paul Elbrich, professor of philosophy at Munich University.
Last December, a US court sparked controversy when it ruled that intelligent design should not be taught alongside evolution theory. Cardinal Schonborn said "the debate of recent months has undoubtedly motivated the Holy Father's choice".
But he added that, in the 1960s, the then Joseph Ratzinger had "underlined emphatically the need to return to the topic of creation". He also raised the issue in his first sermon as pope.
A few months later Cardinal Schonborn, who is regarded as being close to Pope Benedict, wrote an article for the New York Times that was seen as backing moves to teach intelligent design.
He was attacked by Fr George Coyne, director of the Vatican Observatory. On August 19th, Fr Coyne was replaced without explanation. Vatican sources said Fr Coyne, who has cancer, had asked to be replaced. But the announcement of his successor made no mention of Fr Coyne or his 28 years as the head of the observatory.