Statue of Galileo Planned for Vatican

Reservoir Hill writes "Four hundred years after it put Galileo on trial for heresy the Vatican is to complete its rehabilitation of the scientist by erecting a statue of him inside Vatican walls. The planned statue is to stand in the Vatican gardens near the apartment in which Galileo was incarcerated. He was held there while awaiting trial in 1633 for advocating heliocentrism, the Copernican doctrine that the Earth revolves around the Sun. The move coincides with a series of celebrations in the run-up to next year's 400th anniversary of Galileo's development of the telescope. In January Pope Benedict XVI called off a visit to Sapienza University, Rome, after staff and students accused him of defending the Inquisition's condemnation of Galileo. The Vatican said that the Pope had been misquoted and since the episode, several of the professors have retracted their protest."

Comments

Thunderbolt and lightning! Very very frightening!

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Galileo!

Re:They've got to be kidding

[mh1997]

These kind of news really pisses me off. A statue to Galileo 400 years late? WTF?

Well, to be fair, they are erecting a statue of Bob Johnson. Never heard of him, according to prophets, he is going to do something great in 400 years.

That should pretty much even things out for you.

My my

[KrunZ]

A fully erect Galileo in the Vatican Garden. It sems hard to belive.

traditional greeting....

[owlnation]

I hope Galileo is celebrated with his right arm raised and his middle finger extended, in the time honored way. I'm sure if he were alive that's what he would want.

Void Where Prohibited by Newton's Law

[Doc Ruby]

What will the inscription on the statue read? Something like

The Church reserves the right to excommunicate you for 400 years if the facts interfere with Its absolute powers.

200 years of those facts becoming common knowledge, at the expense of Its absolute powers, notwithstanding.

Re:cool

[Himring]

You are correct. In fact, it seems that the vast majority of Christian institutions, and institutions of other religions, do not take issue with evolution.

You must be new here. Everyone who ever posts on /. knows that all Christians, theists and, basically, anyone religious -- or who has ever been religious at all -- is a complete, uneducated moron. No one who has ever believed theistically has ever contributed anything, whatsoever, to science, knowledge, understanding or the promotion of the human race.

There, I said it. Now do me!

Hopefully

[Dunbal]

Hopefully said statue will wear a condom. The Vatican wants to show how far they've come and admit their mistakes. I guess we'll have to wait another 400 years for the tribute to the little rubber thing...

Re:Thunderbolt and lightning! Very very frightenin

[Rob T Firefly]

*deeper voice* Galileo!