A church divided?

Apparently the Catholic church is divided over the acceptability of evolution. Almost a decade ago, Pope John Paul II made news when he said that evolution was "more than just a hypothesis" -- indeed, he spoke as one aware of the breadth and depth of the explanatory power of the theory:

It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.

But, as usual, Vatican scholars can find room for many interpretations in the interstices of what their predecessors have and haven't spelled out. At least one Cardinal seems to think that scientific approaches to the origins of life are inherently incompatible with faith, but many of his colleagues disagree. The opinion of the current pope is unclear -- he's been involved in previous statements of principle that endorsed the compatability of scientific research and religious faith, but he also stated at his installation that an individual is "the result of a thought of God" rather than "casual and meaningless product of evolution." Not known whether he will wade into the present debates . . .

(first article via Follow Me Here)

Update: a group of Catholic scientists are asking the pope to weigh in.