What did Pope Benedict XVI say about aliens? In a 2014 letter to philosopher Paolo Musso, the retired pope answered questions on Adam and Eve, polygenism, original sin and intelligent life on other planets. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look at whether the letter is real, what it says, and, in a new segment starting at 1:05:05, what it means for claims that the Vatican has proof of aliens, from exopolitics and Michael Salla to the Magenta UFO crash and David Grusch.

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Chapters:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:01:41 - A Crossover Episode
0:03:50 - The Jimmy Akin Podcast: Benedict XVI on Adam and Aliens
0:04:51 - Is the Letter Authentic?
0:09:14 - Who Is Paolo Musso?
0:15:07 - What Authority Does the Letter Have?
0:19:42 - How Musso Received the Letter
0:22:22 - Musso's Four Questions
0:25:20 - Benedict's Introduction and the Problem of Geocentrism
0:29:58 - What Is Polygenism?
0:31:07 - Pius XII and Humani Generis
0:37:08 - Communion and Stewardship
0:41:53 - Benedict on Polygenism
0:45:16 - Benedict on Original Sin
0:46:20 - Archbishop Léonard's Proposal
0:49:47 - Von Balthasar and Gregory of Nyssa
0:52:54 - Benedict on Intelligent Aliens
0:57:36 - Christ's Cosmic Triumph
1:01:19 - Benedict's Position of Openness
1:03:04 - Thank you to Patrons
1:03:34 - Sponsor: Fr. Dwight Longenecker
1:04:24 - Sponsor: Gravetending Solutions
1:05:05 - New Segment: Benedict's Letter and the Vatican UFO Claims
1:06:10 - What Is Exopolitics?
1:06:53 - Michael Salla and Pope Leo XIV
1:09:24 - The Magenta UFO Crash
1:10:10 - David Grusch and the Vatican
1:12:35 - Controlled Disclosure and Exo-Vaticana
1:14:14 - Salla's 2014 Prediction
1:16:24 - Was Benedict in a Position to Know?
1:19:08 - The CDF and the Third Secret of Fatima
1:20:58 - Was Benedict Lying?
1:22:48 - Bottom Line
1:24:08 - The Jimmy Akin Podcast
1:24:32 - Further Resources
1:25:32 - Mysterious Feedback: #432 The Shepherd of Hermas
1:36:03 - Your mysterious feedback
1:36:39 - Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
1:36:43 - Jimmy's YouTube channel
1:36:48 - Share the show / write a review
1:37:26 - Next Time: The 1963 Chicago Plot to Kill JFK
1:38:06 - Get your Mysterious merch
1:38:23 - Show notes
1:38:30 - Become a Patron
1:38:40 - Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
1:39:03 - Sponsor: The Grady Group
1:39:21 - Outro

Further Resources:
Paolo Musso, La vita extraterrestre (Edizioni Studium, 2021): https://www.edizionistudium.it/libri/la-vita-extraterrestre
Cris Putnam and Thomas Horn, Exo-Vaticana (Defender, 2013): https://search.worldcat.org/title/1348971460
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, The Message of Fatima (2000): https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html
Holy See Press Office, biographical notes on Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger: https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_ratzinger_j_en.html
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, historical profile: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_pro_14071997_en.html
Michael Salla, “Pope Leo XIV & Vatican will lead official Extraterrestrial Disclosure,” Exopolitics (2025): https://exopolitics.org/pope-leo-xiv-vatican-will-lead-official-extraterrestrial-disclosure/
Michael Salla, “Vatican preparing statement on extraterrestrial life,” Exopolitics (2014): https://exopolitics.org/vatican-preparing-statement-on-extraterrestrial-life/
Ashley Turner, “Vatican Helped Recover Alien UFO, Whistleblower David Grusch Claims,” PopCulture.com (2023): https://popculture.com/trending/news/vatican-helped-recover-alien-ufo-whistleblower-david-grusch-claims/
Susie Pinto, “No UFO records in Vatican archives despite whistleblower claim: Source,” NewsNation (2026): https://www.newsnationnow.com/religion/ufo-crash-records-vatican-archives-david-grusch-whistleblower/amp/
Roberto Pinotti, “The UFO Files of Mussolini,” The Black Vault: https://www.theblackvault.com/casefiles/the-ufo-files-of-mussolini-fascist-ufo-files-by-roberto-pinotti/

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