(Editor-In-Chief of the Italian UFO Magazines'Dossier Alieni' and 'UFO Network') translation from Italian by Dawn A. Bissel

The reality of the UFO phenomenon and its theological implications: using reason, extraterrestrials are here. A glimpse of their nature and a mention of the Third Secret of Fatima.

I met Monsignor Corrado Balducci at the Second Ufological Conference of Ancona, entitled "Alien civilizations: between doubt and reason" on 17 April 1999. Balducci, a demonologist of the Vatican is a very open person with a pleasant manner who is quite well known in the ufological circuit for having openly declared that he believes in the possibility that extraterrestrial intelligences are interacting with Earth. Are his statements made on behalf of the Vatican? I tried to examine the religious repercussions of contact with Monsignor Balducci.

AF: Monsignor, where does your interest in extraterrestrial intelligences spring from?

MB: I really became interested in ufology a couple of years ago, even though I started talking about it on TV about four years ago, in 1995. Actually, it all started in 1959 when I began to devote my time to studying demonology. As I had to explore fields such as psychiatry and parapsychology, I indirectly came into contact with topics linked to ufology. I remember that in the Fifties, there was a tendency to deny at all costs the object of parapsychological studies amongst the public, some scientists and also amongst us clergymen. They said that there was no basis for acknowledging parapsychology and phenomena which were called nonsense and fantasy. To put it simply, they denied everything. This was reflected in ufology, which is linked to other frontier topics.

As I collected material, I realized that this generalized denial stemmed from illogical fanaticism. There must be something there, even if you just use your common sense, and, using reason, the phenomenon is undeniable. Strict criticism goes against common sense because it goes against the value of human testimonies. In recent years, accounts of ufological events have greatly increased and yet there are still too many people who tend to pass everything off as nonsense. Of course, in many cases, natural phenomena for example, may be wrongly interpreted, but it's absolutely unthinkable to put eveything into that category. Total scepticism is compeletly unjustified.

AF: And what's happening at the moment in your field?

MB: I've never told anyone this, but I'll tell you: some theologists have said to me "Balducci, what are you doing, it's all just fantasy! ", and they were important theologists, not just anyone. Then when I explained my interest, I defended it tooth and nail so as to say that it's time to change this attitude because if we go on like this, we'll end up weakening and destroying the value of human testimonies. This is what worries me because human testimonies are the basis for our life as an individual, our life in society but above all the basis for the spiritual life of Christians, given that the Divine Revelation is a historical fact that was testified to. God's Revelation is testified too by people and by the gospels. If we believe in the accounts of Biblical miracles, then using reason, we must also believe the accounts of extraordinary events that happen today. It's obvious that we must prove that every affirmation is based on credible foundations. Above all, I decided to get involved in ufology in order to defend human testimonies.

AF: On various occasions you have said that the occupants of UFOs could be more highly evolved spiritually than we are.

MB: I must start by saying that angels do not use spaceships. As purely spiritual beings, they are where they want to be and if they wanted to show themselves, they wouldn't have any trouble taking on visible forms. So, when we talk about extraterrestrials, we have to think either of beings like us or, preferably, other types of beings who always combine a spiritual part with a material part, a body, even though they have a different relationship compared with us terrestrial humans.

Nowadays, science accepts the existence of forms of life in the cosmos, even though it doesn't want to take into account the fact that these intelligences could already be here in our planetary sphere, at least in an obvious form. How does theology tackle this problem? Opinions in favour of the habitability of other worlds are held not only by secular scientists, but also theologists and people who died and were made saints like Padre Pio. The book written in 1974 by the priest Don Nello Castello, "CosI parlU Padre Pio" ("Thus Spoke Padre Pio"), says that someone in Padre Pio's confraternity asked him "Father, I thought Earth was nothing compared to the stars and all the other planets", to which Padre Pio replied "Yes, and if we leave the Earth we are nothing. The Lord certainly didn't restrict his glory to this little planet. On other planets, there will be beings without sin.".

I can also mention Cardinal NiccolU Cusano (1401-1464) who wrote "there is no star from which we are authorized to exlude the existence of beings, who may even be different to us". The Jesuit and astronomer, Father Angelo Secchi (1818-1866) wrote "It's absurd to consider the worlds that surround us as uninhabited deserts". And I could go on and on. Of course, we still don't have scientific confirmation of this particular issue.

However, in the field of theology and the Scriptures we can make some observations. As God's power is limitless, it is not only possible but also likely that inhabited planets exist. In fact, there is a great difference between angels, who are purely spiritual beings, and ourselves, who are made of spirit and matter and whose soul is limited in its actions by the abilities of the body itself. This is explained by the axiom that Nature doesn't take jumps. And so it's likely that the distance between us and angels is reduced by beings who, although they have a body, maybe a more perfect one, have a soul which is less conditioned in its evolution. Probably, not only is this possible and likely but, in my opinion, also desirable. In a not so distant future, these beings could help us, especially on our spiritual path.

AF: Some researchers think that this already happened in the past.

MB: That's an interesting point. It's arguable that these beings have been protecting and helping us for a long time. Some people have put forward the hypothesis that some disasters have been avoided thanks to them. If intelligent beings from other planets really existed, we would find the solution as to how to reconcile their existence with Christ's redemption. If Christ is the centre and head of all creation, no world exists which doesn't refer to Christ, as everything is under the influence of the divine Word and His glory. And no glory is possible without the existence of intelligent beings who can understand it. In any case, it's absurd to think that the only form of intelligence is our own. Other intellectual forces, different to the human one and constructed with a different type of structure is not only possible, but extremely probable.

AF: Is your research personal or is it on behalf of the Vatican?

MB: It's personal.

AF: Twenty years ago, Father Domenico Grasso spoke publicly in favour of the UFO phenomenon. Was it personal research for him too?

MB: This research is absolutely personal. The Vatican doesn't decide anything. We aren't told "study this or study that" but it gives great freedom of action to individuals. The Vatican will be pleased when it knows that Balducci too has spoken about ufology. We don't work according to specific orders, absolutely not.

AF: In your opinion, what are the possible implications of the phenomenon for our current civilization or for the near future, if we acknowledge a possible interaction between man and extraterrestrial intelligences?

MB: That's a question which leads me to think that it would be better if we knew what these beings are like. I have already gone into this and I justified my opinion with "likely". What you want to know depends on whether they are inferior or superior to us. If they are like us, there wouldn't be many implications, as they could have a civilization on the same level as our own. It would be different if they were superior beings. In that case a lot of presuppositions could change.

AF: According to some studies, visions of Blessed Virgin Mary are connected to the UFO phenomenon. Some associated phenomena seem to be of a ufological nature. What do you think?

MB: It's absolutely out of the question. For pity's sake, Our Lady can do what she wants, and definitely doesn't need a UFO.

AF: Two years ago, an article was published in 'Il Messagero' which quoted some of your statements about a nuclear war and a celestial cataclysm which will happen within ten years. That was a sensationalist article.

MB: The truth is, I said that they are two risks we are running. The nearest is a nuclear world war, a danger that's more real when there are two powers involved. So, I speculated on who could be a possible opponent for America, and I said China or the Arab world, but I didn't mean that this would happen tomorrow. I pointed out that for near future I meant around 2030. China first has to develop its commerce and industry to the point where it has enough military power to involve the West in a future war. (At the time of the interview, the war in Kosovo was already under way - Ed). The danger could also be that Russia, being in a destitute state, has already sold arms, technology and people to Third World countries. But I think that however small a country is, it thinks before dropping an atomic bomb on the USA.

AF: And what do you think the other, more distant danger is?

MB: An asteroid hitting Earth. I hadn't thought of that. I was actually referring to an ecological crisis which is growing because of the increase in pollution which is faster than any human corrective measure. But of course I'm not talking about only surviving ten years.

AF: Staying with this issue, in an edition of the magazine 'Visto' three years ago, you partly confirmed the text of the Third Secret of Fatima which has been around for thirty years but has never been backed by the Church.

MB: Yes. There are two things in the Third Secret of Fatima. Everyone noticed the first, but very few noticed the second. The first tells of a nuclear war before the end of the millenium. From the context, that's clear. In fact, the text talks about the use of arms that are more powerful than a thousand suns. It's clear what arms are intended if we look at what the text goes on to say: "the living will envy the dead". This means that the people who survive the nuclear weapons will suffer from radiation.

The other, less known aspect, is the doctrinal crisis of the Church. Three years ago, I was interviewed by Canadian TV. I said: "Yes, the Madonna of the Third Secret of Fatima says this, but no-one has noticed that she first says that it will happen if mankind doesn't mend its ways.". So its all conditioned by this previous remark. But I am optimistic. We, as people, can influence the realization of a prophecy, change the date and the intensity of the prophesied events and mitigate them. The renewal of spirituality in the young is a good omen. I mean to say, spirituality based on the rules of the Church.

AF: Do you believe that non-terrestrial intelligences could intervene in a possible future cataclysm?

MB: I've already said that it's possible for these beings to come to the aid of mankind. Anyway, we shouldn't expect help from anyone, it has to be us who change and mature.

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