THE physicists who took on the pope in the name of Galileo may now be regretting their move, in the face of a backlash from the Italian public.
The pope had been due to give a speech last week marking the opening of the academic year at the University of Rome La Sapienza, but he cancelled his visit after 67 academics wrote a letter of protest and students held demonstrations. The academics objected to remarks by the pope in 1990 suggesting the church’s condemnation of the astronomer Galileo in the 17th century was rational and just.
Many people feel that…
