Vatican astronomer would baptize aliens if they ask

What happens if we find extraterrestrial life that doesn’t appear to be intelligent?

It would really be exciting from a scientific point of view to find any sort of life other than that found on Earth. Even if life itself is very rare, it’s still worthwhile asking about the possibility of intelligence. At the end of the day, our goal is not to come up with a rigid yes-or-no idea that can be tested in a multiple choice exam. It is to come up with a deeper wisdom about life, intelligence, and the ultimate meaning of our existence. That only comes by contemplating at length good, chewy questions. Those questions don’t have simple answers (except in satires like the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!)