Essay On Galileo Inquisition

While Galileo made many scientific advancements, specifically his application of the telescope to prove the heliocentric model, the Church saw him as a heretic, or someone who goes against the Church's authority or laws. Was the designation truly deserved, or simply a political maneuver? At the time of Galileo’s discoveries in 1615, the Church was losing members due to the Protestant Reformation. To silence the heretics who were damaging its support, the Church created the Roman Inquisition. At the time the Roman Inquisition saw Galileo as a heretic, however this has been called into question due to the Cardinal Bellarmine’s hypothetical admission of the possibility of truth of his theories. However, although the motives may be questionable,

While he was correct, he was still breaking laws set by the Church. Representing the Church, the Cardinal Robert Bellarmine stated in a letter that “the Council [of Trent] prohibits interpreting the Scriptures contrary to the common agreement of the holy Fathers”. He was describing how the Church had stated that nobody could interpret the Bible differently and that the Church’s interpretation was seen as the only truth. This letter is a credible source as it was created by an individual who has significant power in the Church, and thus would be knowledgeable of such practices. Therefore, when Galileo disproved the geocentric model of the Bible in favor of the heliocentric model, he was directly going against these laws regardless of whether or not his claims were correct. Additionally, Galileo used the telescope to prove that the moon was not perfect. In fact, it was covered in millions of craters, ranging from large to small. Both of these discoveries were directly disproving the Bible, and thus viewed as extremely heretical by the Roman Inquisition. In addition, this information comes from Galileo himself, which is about as primary of a source as possible. Additionally, he is unlikely to provide negative information about himself, thus making these claims that strengthen the case of his heresy more likely to be