Abstract

Two thumbs up to the editorial staff of The Scientist! I was pleasantly surprised when I found in the May 12 issue of your newspaper (page 8) the whole text of the recent message of Pope John Paul II on the theories of evolution. Indeed, publication of the unabridged version of the document is the best way to help your readers base their evaluations of the pope's ideas and wording. Any document of the Church is the result of numerous drafts, discussions, and study, and is usually loaded with fine conceptual subtleties and distinctions. Without the full text in sight, one runs the risk of losing the original meaning. Unfortunately, it is not infrequent that careless reading, misinterpretation, or out-of-context quotation lead to topsy-turvy presentations of the papal texts in scientific journals. In fact, the note by David Thaler entitled "A Pagan Responds To The Pope," published on page 9 of the same issue of The Scientist, is certainly an example of how an insightful exposition like the pontifical letter can be distorted by flawed criticisms. After reading Thaler's note, one has a strong feeling that the pagan misunderstands the pope and, as a consequence, most of his