The Galileo Affair (3)

Galileo formally expressed his support for the Copernican system in 1610 with publication of his Letters on the Sunspots. Cardinal Maffeo Barberini – later Pope Urban VIII – wrote an “enthusiastic letter of congratulation.”  The Church supported the Copernican system being presented as an, as yet unproven, theoretical model that explained certain astronomical observations more reliably than any other system. Unfortunately, Galileo believed the Copernican system to be literally true despite lacking specific evidence to support this belief.

Galileo’s even made assertions of proof that scientist now consider laughable.  Such as arguing that tides proved the earth's movement. He could not answer the geocentrists' objection that if the earth moved then parallax shifts should be evident in our observations of the stars, but they were not.

Jerome Langford, who has done considerable scholarly research on Galileo, wrote: “Galileo was convinced that he had the truth. But objectively he had no proof with which to win the allegiance of open-minded men. It is a complete injustice to contend that… no one would listen to his arguments, that he never had a chance. The Jesuit astronomers had confirmed his discoveries; they [waited] eagerly for further proof so that they could …come out solidly in favor of Copernicanism. Many influential churchmen believed that Galileo might be right, but they had to wait for more proof.”

The issue initially was, lacking definitive evidence, there was no basis for accepting the Copernican system as fact – not only in the mind of the Church but of science generally.  There were valid reasons for all to proceed cautiously.