The Issue of the Evolution of Creatures in the Teaching of Pope Francis

Since the publication of Darwin's work on the origin of species there has been a dispute between proponents of creationism and evolutionism. For the evolutionists, the existence of man is a consequence of the ongoing, usually long-term, spontaneous changes among other creatures, which lead to their better adjustment to the environmental conditions enhancing their chances of survival. For the creationists, man was created by God and this makes him/her stand out from among all creatures. The Magisterium of the Church spoke several times about human origins. Starting from Pius XI to Francis the line of the popes' teaching remains unchanged in significant elements. The human being is not only the result of evolution. He/she may be subjected to it, provided that his/her ontological spiritual element - the soul, comes directly from God. This article shows the way of individual popes' teaching, simultaneously revealing the assessment of evolution in the encyclical Laudato si'