A group of more than 60 scientists at Rome's Sapienza University are protesting a scheduled speech there later this week by Pope Benedict XVI.
In a letter to the university, the scientists said that the pope's stated views on the trial of Galileo – and by extension, his views on science -- "offend us and humiliate us." They're calling for the "incongruous" speech, which is to commemorate the opening of the academic year, to be canceled.
Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, issued a statement during his papacy saying that the Roman Catholic church had made a mistake in condemning Galileo for his arguments that the Earth circled the Sun (better late than never, right?). However, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, defended the Church's actions, saying its actions were understandable in the context of the times.
"At the time of Galileo the Church remained much more faithful to reason than Galileo himself," Ratzinger said, according to this Times
UK article. "The process against Galileo was reasonable and just".
According to physicist Tommaso Dorigo, who is following the controversy on his blog here, several Italian politicians have weighed in against the professors, while students are now protesting against the idea of a police presence on campus that would ensure the pope's speech goes on.
Scientists protest against Pope [Times UK]
(Image: A portrait of Galileo Galilei, who is still causing trouble after hundreds of years. Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
