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Vatican Debates Paying Tribute to Galileo

Heretic remains a touchy subject in Catholic Church

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 28, 2008 12:58 PM CDT

(Newser) – Galileo Galilei is riling the Catholic church yet again, the Wall Street Journal reports, as an anonymous donor has offered to pay to erect a statue in the Vatican of Catholicism’s most famous heretic. But though the church has come around on science, Galileo remains a touchy subject. He’s “like a Mexican soap opera,” said one Vatican official. “It never ends.”

Even when Pope John Paul II reopened Galileo’s case, the commission ended up issuing only a wishy-washy finding that avoided apology or blame. As a cardinal, Pope Benedict gave a speech that seemed to defend the conviction. Now, the church worries the statue will look like a too-late apology, reviving its biggest PR nightmare. There’s also a logistical concern: Where in the art-packed Vatican would you put it?

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Galileo Galilei (Getty Images)

Galileo at work. (Getty Images)

Pope Benedict XVI blesses a statue in the Vatican. (Getty Images)

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It's an ... attempt to make Galileo one of the emblems of the church. It's the church which needs rehabilitation on this case, not Galileo.
He was right. - Paolo Galluzzi, head of Florence's Institute and Museum of the History of Science

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Vatican Debates Paying Tribute to Galileo