Vatican astronomer rejects Mayan prophecy of world's end

CWN - December 12, 2012

An ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on December 21 is “not even worth discussing,” according to the head of the Vatican Observatory.

Father José Funes wrote in L’Osservatore Romano that the steady expansion of the universe might eventually lead to an explosive cosmological event, but that possibility is many millions of years in the future. More importantly, he added, for Christians “death can never have the last word.”

Reacting to the Mayan prophecy with a humorous touch, a Chilean bishop said that the Church would happily accept donations for anyone convinced that the world is ending. Bishop Bernardo Bastres Florence of Punta Arenas said: “If there are many who believe the world will end on December 21, as the Church, we have no problem with them naming us as the beneficiaries of their possessions in their wills.”

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  • Posted by: jimgrum697380 - Dec. 12, 2012 8:21 PM ET USA

    Good news. On a more serious note Father's words really do warrant reflection: "...for Christians 'death can never have the last word.'”

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