"In the Beginning...."
A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall
excerpts from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p81.htm
I wonder if we ought to bear in mind that Cardinal Ratzinger was one of the proponents of the new theology. Along with Henri de Lubac, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Yves Congar, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng, Edward Schillebeeckx, Marie-Dominique Chenu, Louis Bouyer, Etienne Gilson, Jean Daniélou, and Jean Mouroux.
We call all of these men heretics except Ratzinger (whom we apply "Pope" to despite the fact that he wasn't pope when he wrote the words). This is like some bizarre pre-canonization: "he was not Pope then, but as he is Pope now we back-date infallibility". Cardinal Ratzinger was able to obstinately preach heresy until he became Pope - just as Kung and the others were (and did).
I would not trust a word written by any one of them. I think the same can be safely said for Cardinal Ratzinger.
That is not to say that as Pope he has not had a conversion of heart and is now strictly scholastic, but recent encyclicals and statements would suggest that he still holds to some of the tenets of new theology.
Accordingly one must be cautious (as with the previous few Popes) to ensure that all statements are considered in accord with tradition and, I believe, tradition says that a literal understanding of Genesis is to be held unless science can give a clear and logical explanation that fits with the text.
Now, having said that, modern science is not true science as it rejects the first and final cause. It is based on probabilities and not things which can be determined by reason. Science says "we observed this happening x times, therefore it is true in all cases" - this is patently wrong - empiricism can never give us absolute answers (except insofar as it says "when watching x, y happens - therefore y is true of x when watching)" which is NOT what science tells us.
We really must reject any science which is not based on the scholastic method and as there is virtually no modern science based on this method, we must wait for reason to return to science before we can consider its merits against the Biblical accounts of our history.