The Galilei controversy

On November 9, during the course of the Bondíplus programme on TVM, a sort of a parallel was drawn between Rocco Buttiglione and Galileo Galilei. According to Bondíplus, Prof. Buttiglione was sacrificed by the EU Commission for his belief as Galilei was persecuted because he insisted that the world was round and not flat.

The Buttiglione debate continues and I have no desire to be part of it. I would however hasten to state that to my mind the Buttiglione event was a classical example of European democracy working at its best.

I was however perturbed when the comment was made as an assertion that Galilei was persecuted and sent to prison because of his insistence that the world was round and not flat.

On that particular count, Bondíplus gave a misconception of history as the facts are somewhat different.

During the Papacy of Urbanus VIII (1623-44) Galileo Galilei was propagating the theory of Copernicus that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice-versa. The Catholic Church had a different conception and insisted that the sun revolves around the earth.

Well before the beginning of the Christian Faith, Aristotle (384-322 BC) acknowledged that the earth was a sphere. Furthermore, Eratosthenes of Cyrene measured the earth's diameter 200 years before Jesus Christ was born. Pope Urbanus and his Church never had a problem to accept that and never disputed that the earth was a sphere. The Church, however, was very uncomfortable about Copernicus's theory of the sun and the earth.

While having to insist that my interpretation is more loyal to history I urge Lou Bondí to correct his on the next popular programme Bondíplus, indeed my all-time favourite show. Otherwise well done for the high standard of the programme.