Moving formally to rectify a wrong, Pope John Paul II acknowledged in a speech today that the Roman Catholic Church had erred in condemning Galileo 359 years ago for asserting that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
What did Pope John Paul II say about Galileo?
In 1989, Pope John Paul II discussed the mistakes the Church made in its handling of the Galileo case. He apologized for the Church's handling of the case, further rehabilitated Galileo's name, and pointed out once again that the province of the Church is theology and revelation, not science or astronomy.
How did the church respond to Galileo’s conviction?
The church, however, made efforts to ensure their version of Galileo’s scientific beliefs were prevalent. “The most unusual aspect of the proceedings was that the sentence was ordered to be widely publicized in scientific circles,” Kelly said. “The cardinals asserted that Galileo had always been orthodox in his belief concerning ...
What does Pope Francis'speech on Galileo mean?
The address by the Pope before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences closed a 13-year investigation into the Church's condemnation of Galileo in 1633, one of history's most notorious conflicts between faith and science.
What did Galileo say when he recanted?
Under threat of torture, Galileo – seen facing his inquisitors – recanted. But as he left the courtroom, he is said to have muttered, ‘all the same, it moves’.
What did Pope John Paul II say about Galileo?
More recently, Pope John Paul II himself has said that the scientist was "imprudently opposed." "We today know that Galileo was right in adopting the Copernican astronomical theory," Paul Cardinal Poupard, the head of the current investigation, said in an interview published this week.
How was Galileo punished by the Catholic Church?
Ultimately, Galieo's book was banned, and he was sentenced to a light regimen of penance and imprisonment at the discretion of church inquisitors. After one day in prison, his punishment was commuted to “villa arrest” for the rest of his life. He died in 1642.
Did the Catholic Church ever apologize for Galileo?
It took 359 years and the leadership of Pope John Paul II (left) to recognize the wrong. On October 31, 1992, he formally apologized for the "Galileo Case" in the first of many famous apologies during his papacy.
When did the Church admit Galileo was correct?
The verdict was not one to which the doctrine of papal infallibility applied, and the Vatican was never comfortable with it. Pope Urban approved it, but commuted Galileo's sentence from prison to house arrest. The Church finally admitted he was right in the 19th century.
What happened when Galileo went up against the Roman Inquisition?
Galileo officially faced the Roman Inquisition in April of that same year and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. Put under house arrest indefinitely by Pope Urban VIII, Galileo spent the rest of his days at his villa in Arcetri, near Florence, before dying on January 8, 1642.
Did the Catholic Church pardon Galileo?
the Vatican formally and publicly cleared Galileo of any wrongdoing. The Church eventually lifted the ban on Galileo's Dialogue in 1822, when it was common knowledge that the Earth was not the center of the Universe.
What did the Vatican say about the Church's condemnation of Galileo?
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 31 -- It's official: The Earth revolves around the sun, even for the Vatican. The Roman Catholic Church has admitted to erring these past 359 years in formally condemning Galileo Galilei for formulating scientific theories it considered heresy.
What did the pope apologize for?
Pope Francis apologized on April 1, 2022, to First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations, acknowledging the harm done by residential schools in Canada and marking a crucial step in the church admitting its role in the abuse of Indigenous communities and children.
Who was the Jesuit scientist who informed Galileo of the decision to prohibit the Copernican system?
Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, himself an accomplished Jesuit scientist, informed Galileo on March 6, 1616, of the Congregation’s decision to prohibit the Copernican or heliocentric system.
Why was Galileo found guilty of abjuration?
I personally think his abjuration—on June 22, 1633—was motivated by his belief that he should submit to the judgment of the Church because he consistently said of himself that he was a faithful son of the Church.
What was the first event of Galileo's condemnation?
CATHOLIC: No , the first event is the condemnation of March 5, 1616, by the Congregation of the Index. Galileo precipitated this condemnation, but none of his works were mentioned in the text itself. The document condemned the belief in the motion of the earth as contrary to good reason and to Scripture. It prohibited Copernicus’s book On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres “until corrected” and completely condemned several other books by theologians who advocated that the earth’s motion was not contrary to Holy Scripture. Galileo had written a similar letter in early 1615 arguing that Holy Scripture did not teach anything about the motion of the earth, either positively or negatively.
What is the historical question about Galileo's life?
One is the historical question about what happened in Galileo’s life. The other is about the Church’s attitude toward reason and science. Before trying to understand Galileo’s situation, it is important to understand that the Catholic Church supports and encourages the use of reason and the pursuit of science.
When was Copernicus's book removed from the index of prohibited books?
Copernicus’s book and thus the heliocentric system was removed from the Index of Prohibited Books in the eighteenth century. The Church, long before the past two decades, accepted Galileo’s approach to the reconciliation of science and Scripture as well founded. For example, Pope Leo XIII issued an encyclical Providentissimus Deus (November 18, ...
When did Galileo die?
He died in 1642 at 78 years of age. But he was not hindered in his work, since he published his greatest work of science in 1638, The Discourse on the Two New Sciences. OBJECTOR: Okay, so Galileo was not forbidden to continue his scientific work.
Who was the papal throne in 1623?
As Galileo developed arguments for the heliocentric system after the condemnation by the Congregation of the Index in 1616, he was greatly encouraged when an old friend of his was elected to the chair of Peter in 1623. Maffeo Barbarini mounted the papal throne August 6, 1623, as Urban VIII.
What was the source of conflict between Galileo and the Church?
Pietro Redondi, in a widely-discussed recent book, Galileo Heretic (1983), argues that the real source of conflict between Galileo and the Church was not the Copernican doctrine, as everyone for centuries has supposed and as the documents seem to attest, but a suspicion of heresy in regard to Eucharistic doctrine. Galileo, like many other natural philosophers of his day, took [the scientific theory of] atomism for granted and made occasional use of it in his theorizing. There was a real doubt on the part of some theologians, however, as to whether atomism could be squared with the doctrine of transubstantiation defined by the Council of Trent. Redondi noticed an unsigned denunciation of Galileo's atomism in the files of the Holy Office; starting from this rather slender clue, he constructed an ingenious and highly readable account of what might really have been going on in 1633. (1)
Why was Galileo not tortured?
The official record of the tribunal mentions that in the fourth interrogatory the judges had "deemed it necessary to proceed to a rigorous examination, and thou didst reply like a Catholic" ( respondisti Catholice ). Because of his abjuration, Galileo could not be subjected to torture. There is no mention of maltreatment in any of Galileo's subsequent letters or essays.
What did the better minds understand about the Galileo affair?
Only later did the better minds understand that the faith fears no learning; that historic criticism can be independent and impartial without becoming irreligious. Then, good sense estimated at their true value the accusations launched against the Church because of the Galileo affair.
How did Galileo confuse scientific discoveries with revealed truths?
Galileo confused revealed truths with scientific discoveries by saying that in the Bible "are found propositions which, when taken literally, are false; that Holy Writ out of regard for the incapacity of the people, expresses itself inexactly, even when treating of solemn dogmas; that in questions concerning natural things, philosophical [i.e., scientific] should avail more than sacred." Hence, we see that it was Galileo's perceived attack on theology (which is the unique domain of the Magisterium and not of scientists) that elicited the alarmed response from the Church.
What to ask when someone claims Galileo challenged a dogma?
The next time people claim Galileo bravely challenged such a "dogma," ask them to identify its official name, the name of the pope who defined it, and the date it was defined. If they can't provide you with this basic information, demand that they cite the source of their "facts.".
Why did Galileo make the mistake of going outside the realm of science?
Galileo made the mistake of going outside the realm of science to invade the field of theology.
Why should Galileo be imprisoned?
Niccolini's June 18 dispatch revealed that, "In regard to the person of Galileo, he ought to be imprisoned for some time because he disobeyed the orders of 1616, but the pope says that after the publication of the sentence he will consider with me as to what can be done to afflict him as little as possible.".
When was Galileo first questioned?
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Catholic Church’s investigation into Galileo. When first summoned by the Roman Inquisition in 1616, Galileo was not questioned but merely warned not to espouse heliocentrism. Also in 1616, the church banned Nicholas Copernicus’ book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres,” ...
Why did Galileo testify?
First, on April 12, 1633, before any charges were laid against him, Galileo was forced to testify about himself under oath, in the hopes of obtaining a confession. This had long been a standard practice in heresy proceedings, even though it was a violation of the canonical law of inquisitorial due process, Kelly said.
What is the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei?
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the investigation into the Italian astronomer. Fidgit the Time Bandit/Flickr. In his later years Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei insisted on the truth of the geocentric system, said UCLA professor Henry Kelly.
What was Galileo convicted of?
After his formal trial, which took place on May 10 of that year, Galileo was convicted of a “strong suspicion of heresy, ” a lesser charge than actual heresy. “In sum, the 1616 event was not the beginning of a 17-year-long trial, as is often said, but a non-trial,” Kelly said.
When did Galileo die?
He died in 1642. In his later years Galileo insisted on the truth of the geocentric solar system, Kelly said. The story that after he formally renounced the motion of the earth at his sentencing he muttered, “And yet it moves,” is a romantic invention of a later generation.
What happened to Galieo's book?
Ultimately, Galieo’s book was banned, and he was sentenced to a light regimen of penance and imprisonment at the discretion of church inquisitors. After one day in prison, his punishment was commuted to “villa arrest” for the rest of his life. He died in 1642.
Who insisted on the truth of the geocentric system?
In his later years Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei insisted on the truth of the geocentric system, said UCLA professor Henry Kelly. Nation, World + Society.
Why did Pope John Paul II condemn Galileo?
Moving formally to rectify a wrong, Pope John Paul II acknowledged in a speech today that the Roman Catholic Church had erred in condemning Galileo 359 years ago for asserting that the Earth revolves around the Sun. The address by the Pope before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences closed a 13-year investigation into the Church's condemnation ...
Did the Pope say Galileo was wrong?
Though the Pope acknowledged that the Church had done Galileo a wrong , he said the 17th-century theologians were working with the knowledge available to them at the time.
What did Galileo say about the Sun?
In 1633, the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church forced Galileo Galilei, one of the founders of modern science, to recant his theory that the Earth moves around the Sun. Under threat of torture, Galileo – seen facing his inquisitors – recanted. But as he left the courtroom, he is said to have muttered, ‘all the same, it moves’.
Who declared Galileo right?
At a ceremony in Rome, before the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope John Paul II officially declared that Galileo was right. The formal rehabilitation was based on the findings of a committee of the Academy the Pope set up in 1979, soon after taking office.
Why were the trials not a confrontation between science and faith?
The trials were not a confrontation between science and faith, says Coine, because ‘Galileo never presented his science to the Inquisition. Science wasn’t even at the trial’.
Where is the Galileo observatory?
But the Galileo affair still embarrassed the Church, which now maintains an astronomical observatory at the Pope’s summer palace at Castelgandolfo. Father George Coine, who heads the observatory, says the affair was ‘tragic, beyond the control of any one party’.
Was Galileo's sentence commuted to house arrest?
Pope Urban approved it, but commuted Galileo’s sentence from prison to house arrest. The Church finally admitted he was right in the 19th century.
Was the Inquisition wrong?
The committee decided the Inquisition had acted in good faith, but was wrong . In fact, the Inquisition’s verdict was uncannily similar to cautious statements by modern officialdom on more recent scientific conclusions, such as predictions about greenhouse warming.