Group Script for Galileo's Trial

We, the post-1543 scientists, explorers and navigators, do decree the astronomer Galileo to be innocent. For the sake of our argument we shall describe in detail the theory for which our fellow intellectual is held as heretical. This heliocentric theory of the universe places the Sun at its center, rather than our mother Earth as is widely believed. In greater detail, the Sun is stationary near the center of the Universe, with the Earth and planets revolving around in epicycles at uniform speeds and the stars fixed at a large distance. This model also dictates that the Earth have two more motions with which to explain its night and day cycle, as well as the changing of the season. As such, the Earth herself rotates on an axis, this daily rotation gives us night and day. As for the seasons, the axis on which the Earth rotates tilts annually giving us our varying temperatures at certain times of year in varying angles towards or away from the Sun. These Earthly motions account perfectly for the observed retrograde motion of our neighboring planets.  By these findings the Heliocentric model perfectly quells the chaos, and imperfections of the ancient Ptolemaic model, and achieves the celestial perfection taught to us in the word of God. It is this perfection that has lead to this conclusive model, as all should be as God commands.

We fervently support his discoveries and inventions for the betterment of the scientific community and world at large. His findings correspond with previous discoveries attributed to our group. He came to his conclusions using proper scientific techniques, diligent data gathering and analysis, and an unbiased search for knowledge. His discoveries should be trusted and would lead to the advancement of society both in terms of science and the means to make more discoveries. In particular his studies of the heavens can usher in greater star charter that would would in turn give better navigation directions. This would aid travelers across vast lands and seas. His remodeling of the telescope is ground breaking. Not only was he able to make the telescope 20 times the magnification stronger, he was able to use his telescope to make ground breaking discoveries. while the instrument was used for stargazing, he was able to discover new planets, look at the moon, and map out the phases of Venus. He was also able to observe that the moon was not a perfect-lunar sphere but a moon that had an uneven and rough surface. Such discoveries can be nothing short of the grace of god for the betterment of mankind. If we are to truly fulfill God’s wishes we must better ourselves in any way possible. It is by this reasoning that punishing said Galileo would not only be ill founded, but a detriment to our society and our progress. We would be robbing ourselves and our posterity of knowledge, and skills that are so rightfully deserved.

It is in our opinion that this is not a conflict of the Catholic Church and science, but merely a conflict between classical science with the astronomy of Ptolemy, and a newer science with the use of Galileo’s invention of the telescope and the new Copernican astronomical knowledge we had acquired. In 1611, as Galileo traveled through Rome, the Jesuit astronomers even advocated the use of his telescope and found it quite helpful in their own discoveries!  Although his discoveries are contradictions of what we believe of the Lord, our God, they have sound base and offer a new way to look at the beautiful world created by our Holy Lord. In fact, religion really has no place in this argument, as the physical realm of science is very different from the spiritual realm of the Catholic Religion. They do not partake in one another and therefore really have no substantial evidence or necessity to step into the other.