ABC News tells us that Pope Benedict has paid tribute to the work of the 17th century astronomer Galileo Galilei, who was convicted of heresy by the Catholic Church in 1633. This is only 375 years late, good on you, Catholics!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/22/2452373.htm
Around the time of his discoveries, when his peers were congratulating him on discoveries such as proof the earth goes around the sun, not the sun round the earth. Discoveries that would lead to Galileo being called "The father of modern Science" in our own time. At that time, good religous folk took the following actions.
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