It's not the same thing.
Even without any intention of malice Columbus would not have ended well for the natives.
Any sufficiently advanced civilization would supercede lesser ones.
Even if contact would be limited to prevent any cultural leakage the knowledge of the existence of intelligent life will lead to collapse of at least 3 major religions and their cultural frameworks.
Aliens might know we exist but they might have rules against visitation unless being invited first.
Individuals that send powerful invitations can be seen as putting the earth and human civilization as we know it at risk.
"Even if contact would be limited to prevent any cultural leakage the knowledge of the existence of intelligent life will lead to collapse of at least 3 major religions and their cultural frameworks."
Religion isn't that vulnerable to rationality. Christianity has survived Copernicus, Martin Luther, evolution, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and 2000 years of Jesus Christ failing to show up as promised.
I don't really know of anything in Christianity, at least, that's incompatible with the idea of life elsewhere in the universe. Biblical literalists would take it hard, probably, but those guys have a lot more problems than space aliens.
Nope, The Vatican has been saying for a couple years now, that the existence of extraterrestrial life, even intelligent life, does not contradict the Bible. They accept the possibility, because after all, "In the beginning God created the sky and the earth."
Any sufficiently advanced civilization would supercede lesser ones. Even if contact would be limited to prevent any cultural leakage the knowledge of the existence of intelligent life will lead to collapse of at least 3 major religions and their cultural frameworks.
Aliens might know we exist but they might have rules against visitation unless being invited first. Individuals that send powerful invitations can be seen as putting the earth and human civilization as we know it at risk.