Br. Guy, head of the Vatican Observatory, was asked by Astrobiology Magazine about the possible impact of discovering alien life in the universe.

Here are three scenarios. The most likely one: We find an intelligent civilization and there’s no way in creation we can communicate with them because they’re so alien to us. We can’t talk to dolphins now. In which case, we’ll never know.

Second scenario: We find the intelligent civilization. We can communicate. We discover that they have the two essentials that theologians talk about for the human soul, intelligence and free will. They know who they are, they’re self-aware, and they’re able to do something about it. I think dogs are self-aware, but they don’t have a whole lot of free will. Maybe computers are the same sort of thing. Human beings have to have both.

That means if you’re going to have freedom, you’ve got the capability of doing right and wrong. There is evil in the world, that’s an observed fact. There is the need to overcome evil in the world. There’s that need for salvation that we all have. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t need it, if they’ve got the same freedom we’ve got.

If you want to trade good bible quotes, here’s one: The beginning of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word is, of course, Jesus – the Word – is the second person of the Trinity, the Word is salvation; the Word is the incarnation of God in the universe, who according to the Gospel is there before the universe was made. The one point in space-time that’s the same on every timeline. So that the salvation occurs and is made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ here.

Is it possible that there are other Words in other languages to other cultures? Beats the heck out of me. But that’s scenario number two. And people have talked about that for hundreds of years, the idea that there could be other lives – this is classic Catholic poetry. And that’s what it is, it’s poetry, it’s not theology. ‘Cause it’s so many hypotheticals.

A third scenario: We find a dozen civilizations out there, and a bunch of Jehovah’s witnesses go up and convert them all. At the end of the day, every civilization is Christian, except the human race is still not too sure about this. I mean, anything’s possible.

Astrobiology Magazine: But you left one out: They convert us. Because how do we know they don’t have an equally powerful set of beliefs —

Brother Guy: It’s not like beliefs come with power attached to them. We can’t even convert ourselves.