The Omega Scroll by Adrian D'Hagé Read Free Book Online

black and the waters are very, very cold. Suddenly, the powerful lights on our submarine pick up molten lava spewing out of volcanic vents, and we watch as it comes in contact with the icy water. Deep beneath the seabed the lava and fluids cascading from the vents have been heated to temperatures well in excess of 300°C, but the crushing pressures at this depth prevent these fluids from boiling. Instead, they form tall, lava-encrusted chimneys known as “black smokers”. Imagine our surprise to find that the edge of this inferno is teeming with life. Worms and other forms of life that thrive in temperatures well above that of boiling water. Now, I’ve been wondering whether or not such a discovery is a problem for our theology.’
    Giovanni realised he now had everyone’s attention. ‘Here on the surface of our planet we all know that the energy source of life is sunlight. Without it the plants would die, and without plants the animals, including our species, would die too. But at these depths there is no sunlight. In this part of the ocean these forms of life don’t need the sun; they feed on sulphur and hydrogen. There is now a growing body of scientific evidence that points to these oceanic bacteria being the very first forms of cellular life on Earth, from which all other forms of life, including humans, have evolved. It also means that there might be similar forms of life deep beneath the surface of planets like Mars and the moons of Jupiter and further away into the icy wastes of any one of the billions of galaxies like our own.’
    It was as far as Giovanni was prepared to go. Already he sensed the unease that his challenge to the accepted biblical story of creation had created amongst the faithful and he dared not raise the issue of the origin of DNA. This was not the time to raise the possibility of a powerful spiritual force that he felt sure was driving the cosmos; one that encompassed the inadequacy of all of humanity’s attempts at religion.
    ‘So where does that leave the Bible and Adam and Eve?’ he asked. ‘Where does it leave us as Christians?’ Not a shoe shuffled. ‘As both your Patriarch and a scientist I see only positives in this. For me, this is just another revelation of “how” it was done. And such is the brilliance of the Creative Spirit I am certain that we have only scratched the surface.’
    Vittorio listened, deep in thought. He had always believed in the creation doctrine that was laid out in the Catholic catechism: The Lord God caused man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib . Genesis was a beautiful story with no hint of bacteria, yet Vittorio felt a growing sense of trust for this intectually gifted man who was so willing to share his knowledge. It was as if the great cathedral had been opened up to an aggiornamento . A wind of modernisation was blowing hard through the portals of San Marco. In time it would become a gale.
    Unseen by either Giovanni or Vittorio, the shadowy figure in the back row was quietly taking notes.
    Night had descended on the Piazza di San Marco and the nearby stone alleys and narrow streets of Venice. The ever present gondolieri were competing for ‘sea room’ on the Grande along with a myriad of lesser canali , expertly guiding their seemingly flimsy craft amongst the vaporetti and the barges that waged a ceaseless battle to supply the water city’s needs.
    Oblivious to Venice’s elegant pulse, Giovanni sat in his study overlooking the Piazza and reflected on his sermon. Francis Crick’s theory on the origin of DNA had threatened many in the Vatican’s corridors of power and the brilliant scientist had been successfully discredited. In the 1980s Università Ca’ Granda’s Professor Antonio Rosselli had revived Crick’s investigation with strong support from the Israeli mathematician Professor Kaufmann. But