Pope backs Darwin's insights

VATICAN CITY, April 12 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI, in a book published in Germany, praised the "new insights" of science, while saying that Darwin's theory of evolution is not provable.

In the book "Schoepfung und Evolution" or "Creation and Evolution," Benedict, speaking on evolution for the first time since he became pope, did not endorse intelligent design or creationism. The book is based on a seminar Benedict had in September with former students, The Scotsman reports.

"Science has opened up large dimensions of reason ... and thus brought us new insights," Benedict said at the seminar. "But in the joy at the extent of its discoveries, it tends to take away from us dimensions of reason that we still need. Its results lead to questions that go beyond its methodical canon and cannot be answered within it."

In 2005, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, one of Benedict's former students, gave what appeared to be an endorsement of intelligent design in a published article.