Today's science and the medieval Church

The Vatican canceled a planned speech by uber-conservative Pope Benedict XVI to La Sapienza University in Rome, after students and faculty voiced a protest against his stance on Galileo's trial back in A.D. 1633.

Remember Galileo? He's the one who claimed, against all contemporary science and theology, that the Earth did not stand still at the center of the universe but did in fact orbit the sun. Back then, the Vatican determined this information to be heretical, dangerous, and unprovable, so its prelates made Galileo renounce his findings, threatened to excommunicate him, and placed him under house arrest until his death.

Why is this relevant in 2008? Because the leader of the largest organized religion in the Western world supports the decision, calling Galileo's trial "rational and just." This may have been true according to the precepts of religion and astronomy back in the day, but scientists and academics of our era don't take kindly to a stance they see as possibly squelching scientific research.

As an aside, props to the previous Pope, John Paul II, who stuck his neck out for science just 15 years ago when he officially conceded that indeed, Earth really did orbit the sun, and the Church was okay with that.

Read the whole story at BBC News: "Papal visit scuppered by scholars"

[sanenazok]

Galileo was a dirt bag, and did things like use the words of the then-pope as words coming from a character called Simplicius. He pissed off a bunch of people by using his inventions like optics to buy insurance papers on ships that were running late. So big surprise he was prosecuted for his politics. Even during this time his theory was being taught in all the Catholic Universities that wanted to teach it. While JPII did apologize for the prosecution 15 years ago, Galileos work was acknowledged in the 1700's, about 50 years after his death. The BBC is blatantly anti-Catholic...

[shurre]

Glad to get your response--You point out an important aspect of religious persecution: politics and power structures. And thanks for the added history on Galileo & his teachings.

[fokwp]

We are still in Galileo's times when it comes to the subject of evolution.

[Devzzz]

Yes and the Church will claim "Oh it was the way he went about it, we knew he was right but..."

@sanenazok
It is obvious that you are very catholic. I disagree with your opinions on this matter. The BBC just isn't catholic they most likely aren't "Anti-Catholic". Galileo did offend the Pope but it was provable. He went to a Jesuit university and showed them the celestial spheres revolving around the sun and not the Earth. They should've just used a telescope and seen it for themselves.

[nedmorlef]

Fortunately Protestants saw through the flawed reading and interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and separated from the Catholics and then the American forefathers the Church of England.

The sad part is all of us Christian "believers" get lumped in with them. Sort of like lumping all sinners with Nero,Osama Bin Laden and Charles Manson.

"God hung the earth in the heavens" was written long before any telescopes or even organized science ever existed and it was the Church that built the first schools that taught progressive knowledge.

Unfortunately many have forgotten that the Scriptures warned of germs long before the microscope and now call the Good Book outdated.

We're still waiting for the revelation of a "Better Way".

[dopefish23]

Actually, Aristarchus said the exact same thing some 2000 years before Galileo. His views were suppressed because they didn't agree with the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic model dominant at the time. It's not just religious groups who shun new or unconventional theories for wholly political reasons.

[aureolin]

>>It's not just religious groups who shun new or unconventional theories for wholly political reasons.<<

Very true. Just try questioning Global Warming or Evolution. If you don't stick to the "Approved Dogma" you get creamed. Remember, if you can't question it, it isn't Science.

Sad, but true.

[johncwalker]

This is just another case of propagating myths to further anti-Catholic bigotry, particularly by the author who posted this summary. First, the Church did not object to Galileo promoting heliocentricism as a hypothesis. Rather, it objected to proselytizing it as a fact when he was unable to prove it so. The Church was open to the discussion but stressed that if it could be proven (which Galileo never did), theologians would need to re-examine the Scriptures and reconcile the differences between them and scientific observation, both of which are witnesses to God's creation. Second, the Church did not "excommunicate him anyway" after he renounced his position on the factual certainty of the Copernican theory. After he renounced, Galileo later would publish a work re-asserting his original position in "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems." It was in response to the latter that he was confined to house arrest. GALILEO WAS NEVER EXCOMMUNICATED!

[shurre]

Hi, and thanks for your comments. I'm the author of the post. Hope you can excuse the ambiguity of the excommunication element--conflicting reports are abundant. The language has been changed to reflect that uncertainty. Your erudition is appreciated. The post is intended to bring to light an interesting conflict between today's pope and today's scientific community--a difference of opinions on galileo's situation was the crux of the scholars' protest. No one here intends to "propagate myths to further anti-Catholic bigotry."

[mcugaedu]

Galileo went to some lengths to antagonize the Pope and took the consequences. The modern view of him as a martyr for science is somewhat mythologized.

[quirK]

This is the most factual and civil Pope vs Galileo discussion I have EVER seen on the web (#2, unfortunately, is a dogmatic statement). You guys ought to pat yourselves on the back.

[chash360]

The statement that the earth is at the center of the universe, from a certain perspective is true. Its a simple matter of logic, that requires little obsevation. Say we now can see about 13 Billion light years away with current technology, now assume you can see that far, regardless of what direction. You have just defined the perimeter of a sphere, of the visible universe, that you are in the center of. In short, you are ALWAYS at the center of your universe, you can be no place else. Perhaps if both sides of the Evolution vs. ID argument should employ some simple logic to realize that neither of their ideas are mutally exclusive, there should be no argument.
Its so common these days to look for conflict rather than agreement. If people would look for the ways that both arguements can be true, without contradiction then, they would be a lot smarter.....and perhaps happier too. People believe in the contradictions so much they refuse to accept that it is their own assumptions that cause them to decieve themselves, and often are not willing to face it. The Truth is that which does not contradict itself. If you believe something is true, that is contradicted by something else you need to re-evaluate your beliefs, I do not understand why this is so difficult for most people.