Pope endorses evolution - Pope Francis has endorsed evolution and the big bang theory as the origin of the universe and human-beings.

The pope, who was speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Monday, debunked creationism. He stressed that God is not a "magician with a magic wand" to create the entire universe in just 6 days and nights as Genesis claims.

He said "the Catholic Church sees no conflict between science and religion," and that the big bang theory does not contradict the role of a divine creator. The pope endorses evolution and the big bang theory, saying they must have been guided by the plan of a creator.

"When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so," the pope said.

"Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of a creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve."

The spiritual leader of the Catholic Church also endorsed the view that all life including humans evolved from extraterrestrial life.

He said God "created beings and allowed them to develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one, so that they were able to develop and to arrive at their fullness of being. He gave autonomy to the beings of the universe at the same time at which he assured them of his continuous presence."

He went further to support evolution saying that "creation continued for centuries and centuries, millennia and millennia, until it became which we know today, precisely because God is not a demiurge or a magician, but the creator who gives being to all things."

'Pope endorses evolution' has been one of the most discussed topics online this week. Many commentators have interpreted the move as an attempt by the ancient institution to remain relevant in the information-driven, rapidly evolving world.

That the pope endorses evolution comes as no surprise. Pope Francis has been hailed as the one of the most liberal leaders of the Catholic Church. The pope has publicly supported ideas that the church has famously condemned. Earlier this year pope Francis welcomed homosexuals to the church and denounced the inequalities present in the world as a cause of capitalist greed.