Galileo facing the Roman Inquisition, painting by Cristiano Banti

I see the Galileo affair more as a conflict between politicians and science than a conflict between science and religion because I consider the Catholic Church of Galileo’s time to be a political institution, not a religious organization. I should point out that the modern Catholic Church is, in my opinion, a religious, mostly beneficial and benevolent entity that should not be confused with the Catholic Church of Galileo’s time. The negative things I’m about to write regarding Galileo’s Catholic Church don’t apply to the modern Catholic Church.

A politician is

One who seeks personal or partisan gain, often by scheming and maneuvering

Members of the Catholic Church achieved enormous power and wealth by persuading the public that the Church held the only keys to Heaven. Two examples are:

1. They sold indulgences to families wanting to shorten their deceased loved ones’ stays in purgatory.
2. They obtained favorable treatment, including tax exemptions and land grants, from national governments by publicly endorsing rulers.

In order to preserve and expand this power, the Catholic Church had to scheme and maneuver to keep the population believing that the Church held the only keys to Heaven. The main charge that the Catholic Church leveled against Galileo was heresy. By advocating a heliocentric theory, Galileo was publicly disputing a position held by the Catholic Church. The Church could not allow any of its teachings to be disputed. If the people began to doubt the Catholic Church’s geocentric theories, then the people may begin to doubt other positions of the Church. The politicians of the Catholic Church had to suppress Galileo’s heliocentric theories and any other theories that differed from official Catholic opinions, lest the Church lose its perceived exclusivity in controlling access to Heaven and, consequently, its wealth and power. The Catholic Church of Galileo’s time schemed and maneuvered for personal gain, just as would be expected of a political organization.

Lessons From the Galileo Affair, Series Tease

Lessons From the Galileo Affair, Part 1 of 2