The Trump Administration has released a fresh wave of UFO files, including the moment a US fighter jet appeared to open fire and shoot down a mysterious object flying in American airspace in a fiery explosion.

The stunning footage from the Pentagon captured the seconds before and after an F-16 fighter jet launched an air-to-air missile at the unidentified craft over Michigan's Lake Huron.

Infrared cameras caught the instant the small craft with round or diamond shape and jagged tail was struck by what the Pentagon called a US 'weapons system' on February 12, 2023.

The object was seen exploding during the violent collision, sending countless pieces of shrapnel in all directions.

In the military's description of the incident, officials said: 'The footage appears to depict a kinetic interaction between two distinct areas of contrast, with the initial subject of the footage fragmenting in a radial displacement pattern that suggests a high-energy event.'

In simpler terms, the Air Force used kinetic weaponry, the technical term for missiles, to strike the UFO, causing it to 'fragment' or break up into several pieces after the high-energy explosion.

In a letter demanding the release of the new videos in March, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna confirmed that the weapon used was a AIM-9X 'Sidewinder' missile.

The new footage was one of 46 new videos released on Friday by the Pentagon-led committee put in charge of disclosing America's UFO files to the public.

UFO files released on May 22, 2026 revealed what the US Air Force described as a UFO over Lake Huron in Michigan

UFO files released on May 22, 2026 revealed what the US Air Force described as a UFO being destroyed by a US fighter's 'weapon system'

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a Friday statement: 'The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.'

'These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation, and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency. 

The new tranche of files appeared on the Department of War website just before 8am ET, featuring chilling audio from the Apollo 12 crew, which reported mysterious objects while in space.

The dump also included reports of glowing orange orbs swarming around a military helicopter, mysterious ‘fireballs’ that triggered airborne particle hunts in New Mexico and intelligence documents describing unidentified aerial phenomena near a Soviet weapons-testing range.

Other entries in the nearly four dozen videos revealed Tic Tac-shaped UFOs tracked by the US Coast Guard, glowing spheres darting through clouds over Afghanistan, unidentified submerged objects emerging from the ocean and multiple fast-moving craft swarming military aircraft over the Persian Gulf, East China Sea and restricted US airspace. 

So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs, which have long been an object of public fascination, following the directive from Trump. 

Officials noted, however, that many of the records lacked a fully verified chain of custody, raising questions about how the materials were obtained and authenticated. 

Four unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) appeared to create a formation over water in Iran in August 2022 

The files appeared on the Department of War website just before 8am ET on May 22. Above is a photo of mysterious objects uploaded to a classified network in June 2024

Above is a still from a military platform showing a mysterious object came into view. The video was uploaded to a classified network in July 2023

According to the report released by the Pentagon, the F-16C 'Fighting Falcon' sent to intercept the UFO was part of the US Air National Guard, the air force branch of the National Guard.

This group is a part-time reserve force made up of pilots, aircraft mechanics and support personnel who fly fighter jets, cargo planes, refueling tankers and other aircraft.

The F-16 typically carries up to six air-to-air missiles, including the Sidewinder and the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

The UFO file does not state why the fighter jet was scrambled or from what air base. It is unclear if the wreckage seen in the video was recovered from Lake Huron and if it was analyzed to determine its origin.

Along with troves of military footage released on Friday, chilling audio emerged from a medical debrief involving the crew of Apollo 12, the second group of astronauts to land on the moon in 1969.

Astronauts Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean described seeing mysterious flashes and streaks of light in the darkness of space while trying to sleep during their mission.

NASA later concluded that the strange phenomena were caused by internal visual effects experienced by the astronauts rather than light sources outside the craft.

However, previous radio transcripts from both the Apollo 12 and 17 moon missions, released in the first wave of UFO files in May 8, revealed more strange sightings of unknown objects in space while the astronauts were on the lunar surface.

Pictured: A US Air Force F-16 'Fighting Falcon' seen in 2023 (Stock Image)

Pictured: A sphere-shaped craft seen in the latest batch of UFO file disclosed by the Pentagon. The object was seen flying over an undisclosed country on October 7, 2020 

This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features highlighted areas above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible

The confirmation of the US military opening fire on an unidentified flying object over Michigan marked the latest incident involving the Air Force and a mysterious craft. 

Last year, during a bombshell UFO whistleblower hearing, members of Congress were shown video from an October 2024 encounter involving a US military drone and an orb-shaped UFO off the coast of Yemen.

Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri revealed never-before-seen footage of the UFO being struck by a Hellfire missile from the drone and surviving the impact.

READ MORE 

• Bombshell new video shows US military's direct hit on glowing UFO with hellfire missile

The black-and-white video captured the 100-pound air-to-ground precision weapon bouncing off the mysterious orb, which continued traveling at extreme speed.

The video also appeared to show several fragments of the orb break away during the impact but continue to fly next to the UFO.

Before the UFO files started to be disclosed on May 8, the US government had maintained for decades that there has been no physical proof that alien spacecraft or extraterrestrials exist.

However, government whistleblowers have continued to claim that the US military has been secretly running covert programs aimed at recovering and reverse engineering crashed UFOs from around the globe.

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The Trump Administration has released a fresh wave of UFO files, including new photos, documents and 46 never-before-seen videos demanded by lawmakers.

The files appeared on the Department of War website just before 8am ET, featuring chilling audio from the Apollo 12 crew, which reported mysterious objects while in space.

The dump includes reports of glowing orange orbs swarming around a military helicopter, mysterious ‘fireballs’ that triggered airborne particle hunts in New Mexico, and intelligence documents describing unidentified aerial phenomena near a Soviet weapons-testing range.

The newly released batch also includes the long-awaited collection of 46 military UAP videos that lawmakers demanded from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month.

The videos showing Tic Tac-shaped UFOs tracked by the US Coast Guard, glowing spheres darting through clouds over Afghanistan, unidentified submerged objects emerging from the ocean, and multiple fast-moving UAPs swarming military aircraft over the Persian Gulf, East China Sea and restricted US airspace.

One of the most explosive entries references a US Air Force F-16 reportedly shooting down a UAP over Lake Huron with an AIM-9X missile in February 2023, while another describes orb-like objects appearing near fighter jets during operations over the Middle East.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a Friday statement: 'The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. 

'These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation, and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.' 

Four unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) appeared to create a formation over water in Iran in August 2022 

The dump includes reports of glowing orange orbs swarming around a military helicopter. This image was featured ni the release, which was uploaded to a classified network in June 2024

 This image, released on Friday, was captured by military in 2019

Above is a still from a military platform showing a mysterious object came into view. The video was uploaded to a classified network in July 2023

The newly released records stem from a March 6, 2026 request by eight members of Congress seeking access to 51 potentially UFO-related files allegedly held by the Department of War and the US intelligence community.

Officials noted, however, that many of the records lacked a fully verified chain of custody, raising questions about how the materials were obtained and authenticated. 

So far, the Pentagon has released over 200 files related to UAPs, which have long been an object of public fascination, following the directive from Trump. 

Trump posted on Truth Social, saying: 'In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.

'Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Have Fun and Enjoy!"'

The 46 videos were requested by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna in April, giving Hegseth a deadline of April 14, which was not met.

Since then, Luna and other lawmakers have been pushing to get the clips to the American public.

Several clips capture bizarre ‘orb’ formations swarming around US military aircraft, including incidents in which glowing objects appeared to split apart, pulse over water or accelerate at extreme speeds that pilots allegedly struggled to explain.

One video, labeled ‘Syrian UAP instant acceleration,’ shows an unidentified object making a sudden burst of speed in Syrian airspace during a 2021 military operation, while another references a ‘spherical UAP’ weaving in and out of clouds over Afghanistan in November 2020.

The files appeared on the Department of War website just before 8am ET. Above is a photo of mysterious objects uploaded to a classified network in June 2024

Several videos are connected to repeated ‘Hackney 6’ and ‘Toxic 6’ incidents in 2020, in which military crews allegedly observed fast-moving UAPs over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Arabia, including one case involving dual UFOs maneuvering near an MQ-9 drone.

Another clip, titled ‘UFOs in formation over Persian Gulf,’ appears to reference multiple objects flying together in coordinated patterns, while others describe ‘erratic movement’ and glowing spheres hovering stationary before rapidly disappearing.

In newly unsealed UFO documents released by the Trump administration on Friday, chilling audio emerged from a 1969 medical debrief involving the Apollo 12 crew.

Astronauts Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean described seeing mysterious flashes and streaks of light in the darkness while trying to sleep during the mission.

NASA later concluded that the strange phenomena were caused by internal visual effects experienced by the astronauts rather than external light sources.

The release also included a document detailing at least 209 sightings of 'green orbs,' 'discs' and 'fireballs' reported near a military base in Sandia, New Mexico, from 1948-1950.

The base was part of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Program (AFSWP), which was the direct, post-World War II successor to the Manhattan Project to manage the military aspects of nuclear weapons.

Witnesses reported UFOs maneuvering, flying out of sight, disappearing or exploding

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A passenger aboard a cruise ship traveling through the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Cancun was gazing over the ocean at midnight when he suddenly spotted a glowing orb flying above the water. 

He began filming the mysterious object as it appeared to follow the cruise ship. The orb moved just above the surface of the sea and at times even seemed to disappear underwater before rising again to a higher altitude, only to skim low over the water once more. 

Some suggested it may have been a drone launched from the ship, but is it really plausible for someone to operate a drone over the open ocean in the middle of the night? 

Over the years, numerous witnesses have reported seeing similar objects emerging from and diving back into the ocean. This orb, seemingly surrounded by some kind of energy field, appears to match reports of unidentified objects capable of maneuvering seamlessly through both the air and underwater.

  

RELATED

{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/  }

During an interview with the show Redacted, investigative journalist Timothy Alberino stated that the recent UFO/UAP document disclosures are intentionally limited and part of an internal conflict in Washington between what he describes as a “secrecy group” and a “disclosure group.” 

According to Alberino, the most sensitive information, including recovered non-human craft and alleged alien bodies, is controlled by a rogue “breakaway civilization” operating beyond presidential and congressional oversight. He claims this hidden structure works through private aerospace contractors and Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBs) to conceal recovered craft and biological entities, while keeping even Presidents on a strict “need-to-know” basis and blocking official investigations. 

At the same time, Hal Puthoff, a former advisor to the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program and CIA-funded researcher, has stated that four different alien species have allegedly been recovered from crashed UFOs. 

Puthoff said: “People who have been involved in recoveries have said there are at least four types. Four separate types. Now, I have not had direct access to that, but I believe the people I talked to.” 

His former AAWSAP colleague Eric Davis later claimed that the biological entities allegedly recovered from downed UFOs included Grays, Nordics, Insectoids, and Reptilians. 

We also have retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet speaking publicly about UFOs and the possibility that they are controlled by a “non-human intelligence.” 

As more whistleblowers continue to come forward, some even under oath, questions remain about how credible these claims truly are. Skeptics point out that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, while others argue that over the years several individuals connected to alleged UFO secrecy operations have reportedly died or disappeared under suspicious circumstances before speaking publicly. 

It increasingly appears, as Alberino suggested, that there may be two competing factions: a disclosure group seeking to reveal the truth about UFOs and non-human intelligence to the public, and a rogue “breakaway civilization” determined to maintain control and secrecy at all costs. 

At the same time, many researchers warn about the presence of possible controlled opposition, individuals or organizations that may mix truth with disinformation to shape public perception and steer the narrative. 

This debate has persisted for decades, yet little is likely to change. The UFO cover-up will continue until an official statement is made, supported by undeniable visual and physical evidence proving that extraterrestrial life exists and that governments are indeed in possession of crashed UFOs and alleged non-human bodies.

{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

UFO Files: 13 Fighter Jets Chased Flying Object, Star-Shaped Entity Seen

By Joe Edwards -- Live News Reporter

Thirteen fighter jets were scrambled to chase down an unidentified flying object (UFO), according to newly released files.

The Disclosure Foundation, an advocacy group for unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), released more than 300 pages of intelligence reports from the National Security Agency (NSA) on UFO sightings following a Freedom of Information Act request. It follows the Trump administration's release of more than 160 files relating to UFOs earlier this month.

In one of the files—which were heavily redacted—a witness described a mysterious star-shaped object as "impossible to be an aircraft." The report said the object moved quickly in vertical motions at high altitude and "kept turning around." The object was described as having "white luminous light" and being slightly "bluish" in color.

The Disclosure Foundation said many of the records were once classified as "TOP SECRET UMBRA"—a designation used for highly sensitive signals intelligence.

Newsweek has contacted the NSA and Disclosure Foundation for comment via online contact form.

A page included in the files details a UFO that "looked like a large star."

Other documents detail an object with two yellow lights seen flying at a low altitude, silently changing directions from north to west, and another with "luminous radiation of 22 meters extending in a spiral pattern from a black center."

Another file bearing the "TOP SECRET UMBRA" marking detailed a "spherical or disc-like" UFO described as brighter than the sun and about half the moon's diameter.

How the Records Were Obtained

The Disclosure Foundation said the records were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and subsequent appeal, after the NSA initially denied access to the materials. According to the group, its legal team sought underlying documents tied to a previously known classified NSA memo. Following a prolonged challenge, the agency's appeals authority determined that the blanket denial was improper, leading to the release of hundreds of pages of records, Disclosure Foundation said.

"Despite this historic document release, the NSA still asserts considerable redactions and exemptions for UAP-related material that dates back to the 1960s. Our legal team is completing its review of the NSA's asserted exemptions, and we will mount all appropriate challenges to these withholdings," wrote Hunt Willis, the organization's chief legal officer.

"It is simply unacceptable for security classification exemptions to remain on government documents that predate the Civil Rights Act. We are committed to having the courts review the legitimacy of these redactions and holding these agencies accountable to the public transparency that Congress intended," Willis continued.

What Was in the Pentagon's UFO Files?

Earlier in May, the Defense Department, which the administration calls the Department of War, published more than 160 UFO-related files after President Donald Trump announced in February that he would direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to do so.

"President Trump directed the Department of War to identify and release government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects because he is the most transparent president in history," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek previously.

"While past administrations have sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, the President is focused on providing maximum disclosure to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files," she continued.

These documents included numerous reported sightings of UFOs in the sky, including accounts from several Apollo missions.

One file outlines a technical crew debrief from Apollo 11, the mission that first landed humans on the moon in 1969. Others included transcripts of astronauts reporting seeing unexplained lights, particles and flashes during flights to the moon.

Also included was a 1957 FBI report summarizing an interview with Wladyslaw Krasuski, who said he saw a large, circular craft rising vertically in 1944 near a German military site.

{ https://www.newsweek.com/news }

Top secret government files reveal astonishing UFO encounter with 13 fighter jets for first time

• MORE: FBI files reveal reports of 'four-foot tall' beings emerging from UFOs 
  

By CHRIS MELORE, DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Hundreds of top-secret UFO files have been made public after a decades-long legal battle with the US intelligence community.

The Disclosure Foundation, a nonprofit pushing the US government for UFOs, has obtained 334 pages of intelligence reports from the National Security Agency (NSA), the country's electronic eavesdropping service.

The records include radar-tracking reports, focusing on military and intelligence messages about what showed up on screens around the globe during the Cold War.

Although the files were heavily redacted, one incident detailed how 13 fighter jets were sent to chase a single UFO, which had been spotted by military radar.

Dozens of incidents involved Soviet-made fighter aircraft known as MIGs pursuing swarms of unknown objects, including one sighting over China and another where six MIGs were dispatched and were seen 'attacking said UFO.' 

Another encounter revealed how witnesses saw a luminous star-shaped UFO moving up and down at great speed, showing abilities that made it 'impossible to be an aircraft.' 

Although dozens of the newly released files claimed that the unidentified objects were likely balloons, every report was marked as 'Top Secret Umbra' - one of the highest security levels the NSA used for its most secret messages.

Moreover, the agency fought for over 40 years to keep these reports from reaching the American people, fighting a lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act and continuing to deny access to the entire report once the case was over.

The Pentagon has begun releasing files related to UFOs and extraterrestrials as part of the disclosure campaign ordered by President Trump

New files released by the National Security Agency revealed hundreds of incidents involving UFOS which were classified by the intelligence community

The files have now been disclosed, marking the latest batch of top-secret documents to be released following President Trump's order to unseal all information tied to UFOs and extraterrestrials.

The new trove of intelligence reports revealed that for an unknown length of time, military radar officers regularly tracked objects described as star-shaped, disc-like, spheres, bright balls and even a blimp or cigar-shaped dirigible.

In one of the last reports released, witnesses saw an 'elongated ball of fire' moving in the distance before it split into three separate 'balls of fire.' 

The intelligence agency did not convey in any of the reports what country these events took place in, what year the UFOs were spotted or who saw the objects.

However, it is believed that at least one incident may have taken place in the Soviet Union or a country within Russia's sphere of influence during the Cold War.

During one UFO encounter, 13 fighter jets reportedly scrambled to chase a UFO. The intelligence report noted that the aircraft were MIGs, a military jet often associated with Soviet or allied air forces.

Other encounters reported seeing strange craft flying without making any noise, as if they did not have an engine.

'The UFO had two yellow lights, was flying at low altitude, and changed its heading from north to west over this point. No noise was heard,' the report, made at 8pm local time, revealed.

Declassified reports revealed how witnesses saw a star-shaped object moving vertically into the air in an 'impossible' manner for a human aircraft

Above the horizon of the lunar surface, as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12 in 1969, an area of interest points to apparently unidentified phenomena 

Another described an object which looked 'like a large star' which witnesses revealed was 'going up and down at a fast speed and at a very high altitude.'

The report of the star-shaped object appeared to be similar to a newly released video by the Pentagon, which captured an eight-pointed object on radar images in 2013.

The newly disclosed documents had been under lock and key since a citizen group sued the NSA in 1980, demanding that the government reveal what it had learned about alien life since the end of World War II.

The NSA fiercely fought the lawsuit, with the agency's Chief Policy Officer, Eugene Yeates, filing an official argument with the court that the UFO files needed to be viewed by the presiding judge in private before ruling on the case.

That legal fight ultimately ended with the NSA only being forced to release a summary of the entire 334-page report, called the Yeates Memo, which still remained classified until 2009.

Hunt Willis, chief legal officer for the Disclosure Foundation, said: 'The actual information and collection data referenced in that memo have never been released.'

However, the nonprofit picked up the Cold War-era lawsuit and recently filed a new FOIA request specifically asking for the top-secret 'supporting materials' which the NSA mentioned in the Yeates Memo.

In May, NSA officials released a heavily redacted copy of the UFO files they were sued over in 1980

Although the NSA initially denied the request, Willis revealed that the intelligence agency's own appeals board ruled they wrongly kept the documents secret and overturned the decision. 

Just ten days after the first tranche of files on UFOs and investigations into alien life were disclosed by the Pentagon, the Disclosure Foundation announced that they had received the NSA and released them all to the public as well.

Willis added that the Disclosure Foundation was now fighting to have all 334 pages unredacted so the missing information on where these events took place and when gets revealed publicly.

'It is simply unacceptable for security classification exemptions to remain on government documents that pre-date the Civil Rights Act,' the legal expert said.

'We are committed to having the courts review the legitimacy of these redactions and holding these agencies accountable to the public transparency that Congress intended.' 

Live: Pentagon Releases Declassified UFO Files — Aliens Or Advanced Tech Revealed To World?

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

 By Taylor Penley Fox News

"Non-human" bodies of varying species have been recovered from crashed UFO craft, filmmaker Dan Farah told Fox News on Monday, citing accounts from senior intelligence officials interviewed for his new disclosure documentary.

"A number of the people I interviewed in my film — senior intelligence officials — went on the record saying that there have been dozens of crashed craft of non-human origin over the years," Farah said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

"Elements of our government have recovered those crashes, and they've gotten out of that technology of non-human origin, and in some cases, non-human bodies that were on these craft."

Farah claimed the bodies on the craft being discussed were deceased.

• UFO HEARING: EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL SAYS GOVERNMENT 'CABAL' IS HIDING 'THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE'

He added that several officials involved in the alleged recovery efforts claimed the bodies "were not all the same type," fueling speculation that multiple forms of extraterrestrial life may have visited Earth.

This comes as the Trump administration has placed pressure on government agencies to release files related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) and alleged extraterrestrial encounters to the public.

The Department of War subsequently declassified never-before-seen material related to the request, including dozens of PDFs, images and videos.

• TOP DEM APPLAUDS TRUMP UFO FILES RELEASE IN RARE SHOW OF SUPPORT

Farah alleged, however, that resistance inside the federal government has slowed broader public disclosure efforts.

"The people who have gatekept this information for 80 years, they don't want to share it. They've gotten a lot of power and control over the years, and it's just frankly not human nature for people to want to give up power and control, so there's a tug-of-war happening behind the scenes," he said.

"There are a number of other reasons guiding their desire to keep this secret, including a general belief that the public can't handle the truth.

Farah argued that continued secrecy surrounding alleged UFO programs would not meaningfully disadvantage the United States against foreign adversaries because rival nations likely already know about the phenomenon.

"I think our adversaries know we're not alone in the universe," he said. "They know we've been recovering craft of non-human technology, non-human origin. Saying it out loud wouldn't give them any new information."

{ https://www.foxnews.com/  }

Is there intelligent extraterrestrial life? Catholic thinkers give their opinion

But Catholic theologians and scientists have also reflected on its implications for the way humanity perceives itself in relation to its Creator.

Among scholars researching this topic, the general consensus seems to be that the existence of extraterrestrial intelligent beings does not upset the Church's theology of creation.

Christopher Baglow, director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, addressed this question in a lecture given in 2021 for the Society of Catholic Scientists Annual Conference, a version of which he published in Church Life Journal. 

Humans and extraterrestrials share God as their creator

His starting point was that humans and extraterrestrials share God as their creator, which gives extraterrestrials “the capacity for a special relationship with God in which they can know Him and respond to Him with freedom and love.”.

“God would love them and want to share his life with them,” he said.

St. John Paul II is said to have expressed a similar idea when a child asked him if extraterrestrials were real. “Always remember,” the late pontiff reportedly said. , “they are children of God, just as we are».

Could the Church baptize extraterrestrial beings?

Although the Catholic Church does not offer a definitive teaching on extraterrestrial life, Catholic intellectuals have reflected on the subject over the centuries. In the 15th century, the German Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, philosopher and theologian, speculated that God's creativity made the existence of intelligent life on other planets probable. 

Much more recently, Jesuit astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno posed a key question bluntly in the title of his 2014 book:“Would you baptize an alien?”. 

Written in collaboration with Jesuit Father Paul Mueller, the book addresses various issues of faith and science through a question-and-answer format. As for the question that gives the book its title, it answers in the affirmative, but only if the alien requests it, since it is a sacrament that must be freely given and received.

Brother Consolmagno, a Detroit native, is president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation and served as director of the Vatican Observatory for a decade, from 2015 to 2025. “Any entity, no matter how many tentacles it has, has a soul,” he declared to The Guardian in 2010, adding that he would be “delighted” if intelligent extraterrestrial life were discovered.

Are there other “sons of God” in the universe?

The observatory's current director, Jesuit Father Richard D'Souza, shares a similar opinion. 

“They would be children of God,” D'Souza said, referring to the extraterrestrial beings in 2025. “I believe in a benevolent Creator. He is behind everything.”.

Jesuit Father José Funes, another former director of the Vatican Observatory, leads the OTHER Project, which brings together scientists, theologians and philosophers at the Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina, to study the possibility and potential impact of the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial beings.

“Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on Earth, there can be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. And this does not contradict faith, because - and it is important to understand this - we cannot place limits on God's creative freedom,” he said in a article 2023 published by the Vatican Observatory. 

Neither necessary nor excluded

“The existence of intelligent life on planets other than Earth is neither necessary nor excluded by any theological argument. Theologians, like the rest of humanity, must wait and see.”.

In a 2021 interview with Catholic News Service, Father Funes urged Catholics and others to consider the issue from an academic perspective, not from conspiracy theories.

Among the questions theologians-including the celebrated 20th century Jesuit theologian Father Karl Rahner-have asked is whether the Incarnation would have been repeated on other planets for other intelligent species. Both Father Funes and Dominican Father Thomas F. O'Meara, retired professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and author of “The Incarnation of the Incarnate Word", and "The Incarnation of the Incarnate Word".“Vast Universe: Extraterrestrials and Christian Revelation”, they told CNS that the incarnation of Jesus was a “unique” event that would not necessarily take place beyond Earth.

This is a question that the Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, Anglican author best known for his “Chronicles of Narnia” series, explored through fiction in the late 1930s and 1940s with his “Space Trilogy”. The books - ”Out of the Silent Planet,” “Perelandra” and “That Hideous Force” - tackled the alien theme, popularized in the culture by other writers such as H. G. Wells, best known for “The War of the Worlds,” a novel first published in 1898 and infamous for its 1938 radio adaptation.

Would extraterrestrial beings need the Redemption?

Lewis' work raises the possibility that rational beings from other planets may continue to live in a relationship with God that has not been affected by the fall and, therefore, do not need redemption in the same way that human beings do.

Lewis“ trilogy was also a focal point in a 31-minute documentary entitled "¿?What should Catholics believe about UFOs?”from Notre Dame's McGrath Institute. Produced by Brett Robinson of the same institute, the documentary brought together a number of scientists, theologians and other scholars to discuss the title question.

In the documentary, Lewis scholar Michael Ward points to Lewis“ own doubts about whether the current cosmological model could be overturned by new discoveries. Noting that Christian anthropology has accommodated other scientific advances, such as the Copernican system and Darwinian biology, Ward asserted, ”There is nothing new under the sun that cannot be integrated into the existing framework.".

Wisdom in dealing with non-human intelligence

Among the experts interviewed was Diana Walsh Pasulka, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and author of. «American Cosmic, published in 2019 by Oxford University Press, which explores the phenomenon of belief in intelligent extraterrestrial life.

“A lot of people think that acknowledging the existence of non-human intelligences would change religion, eradicate it or discredit it altogether, but I don't believe that at all,” Pasulka said in the documentary. “Within the major religions there is wisdom on how to deal with non-human intelligence.”.

Pasulka, a practicing Catholic, sees a connection between contemporary reports of unidentified aerial phenomena and medieval descriptions of celestial phenomena, and her work has led her to correspond with aerospace engineers and members of the U.S. Space Force seeking explanations for their own experiences or research.

Are UAPs angels? demons? or something else?

In an interview published in March in the Spanish newspaper ‘El Pais’, Pasulka said: “In the U.S. government right now there are many people who believe in UFOs, in unidentified aerial phenomena. That's a fact. They use taxpayer money to study it. But they have different interpretations.

“By the way, there is a high percentage of devout Catholics in the military who study this,” he added. “They believe that there are probably a variety of phenomena. Some would classify them as being caused by angels and demons. And then there are those they consider a threat, coming from an unknown extraterrestrial civilization. They just know they're here, and they treat them as a threat because they're military: if there's something in their airspace, they want to know what it is.”.

In March, Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, called attention to the theory that aliens are fallen angels, saying in a podcast interview that. thought that the alleged extraterrestrials are demons, and that spiritual warfare is the easiest explanation for «alien phenomena».

Paul Thigpen, a theologian who passed away earlier this year, also explored that possibility in his 2022 book , Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe with God and Angels?”. But he concluded that the spiritual realm was an unlikely explanation for all unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). And he expressed concern that human contact with extraterrestrials could lead some to substitute their reality for that of God or to mistakenly regard them as a source of salvation.

“The Church could welcome this new scientific knowledge.”

“The Church could embrace this new scientific knowledge, just as it did with the scientific revolution of the 16th century that proved that the Earth is not the center of the solar system,” he said in an 2022 interview with the National Catholic Register. 

“If we were to encounter directly an alien species, with the ability to communicate, the Church would, of course, have many questions about its spiritual and moral condition. The answers to those questions would determine the Church's response to such creatures.”.

“In examining the issues involved, we are forced to delve much deeper into the meaning of traditional Catholic teaching on the omnipotence and creativity of God, the image of God in humanity, the fall of the human race, the nature of the Incarnation, the means and scope of redemption, and the reality of the ‘end times.’”.

Aliens are not impossible for Catholics, but they imply a different way of thinking.

On May 5, Will Rahn of The Free Press published a podcast episode titled “Ehese two Catholics see signs of God in UFOs” featuring Pasulka and New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat for a series titled “What Should Smart People Think About UFOs?”.

Douthat did not subscribe to any particular theory about the nature of extraterrestrial life, should it exist. However, he did acknowledge the tension Catholics might feel if it were proven to exist.

“Most Catholics are quite comfortable with a set of categories that are real but invisible,” Douthat said. “And it would be a change, say, if the Church were to say, ‘By the way, some of these supernatural beings can appear on Air Force cameras.’ That wouldn't be impossible, but it would involve a different way of thinking about these things than most Catholics currently have.”.

Maria Wiering is the editor-in-chief of OSV News.

{ https://www.omnesmag.com/en/section/news/experiences/initiatives/ }

The FBI file contained never-before-seen memos and witness reports connected to UAPs

(Apostoli Rossella/Getty)

'Alien' message to the world uncovered in newly released UFO records

 Rebekah Jordan

An 'alien' message to the world has been uncovered in newly released UFO records.

The anticipation surrounding any official acknowledgement of extraterrestrial life has been building for years. President Donald Trump promised to address the question of alien life when the 'time is right,' yet one US congressman claims that contact has already been made.

Meanwhile, Stephen Hawking's theory has surfaced on social media that if intelligent life does exist out there, humanity might be better off hoping it never finds us. In other words, things sometimes stay hidden for a reason.

Now, the Trump administration's latest UFO disclosure release has revealed something pretty chilling.

The release was published on Friday and included never-before-seen memos, witness reports, photographs and videos connected to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).

Among them was a memo dated January 12, 1955, originating from the Detroit Flying Saucer Club, one of the earliest UFO organisations in the US.

Club member Randall Cox told FBI agents that the group had been in contact with 'outer space people', and that those beings had delivered a series of warnings about humanity's place in the universe, the document read.

According to the FBI memo, the beings stated that all planets had conquered outer space except Earth and that humans were the ‘lowest form of universal existence.’

A further message stated that the purpose of contact with Earth at that time was simply to prepare people for future landings from outer space.

Featured Image Credit: Apostoli Rossella/Getty

{ https://www.uniladtech.com/ }

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