Pope Francis and the little green men

Pope Francis is at it again. When asked if he would baptize an extraterrestrial life form, he said he would if they wanted it. Where he comes up with these odd thoughts is simply alien to many. You can read more here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2626889/Pope-Id-baptise-Martians-arrived-asked-Catholic-leader-says-green-men-allowed-church.html

All right, the groan is well deserved. Still, what the Holy Father has said is perfectly in line with Church teaching and perfectly contrary to what many earthlings think about life elsewhere in the Universe. All of creation was created by same God. Therefore (and understand here that we are speaking within a broad philosophy with a tinge of theology as well) any other sentient, self aware life would face all the challenges we on Earth fight with every day. They would need food, clothing, and shelter, to name a few, and would struggle as we do in obtaining these necessaries. They would as well need the same God we do.

This should thoroughly astound the non or irreligious among us who say that discovering life somewhere else would stand religion on end. This means that even 'green men, with a long nose and big ears' as the Pontiff quipped, would need and deserve baptism. 'Any entity - no matter how many tentacles, it has has a soul...' as Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno said, would be eligible for baptism.

But the SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, if successful, would turn religion upside down.

Only for those who choose not to understand religion.