3. The Catholic Church and the Galileo Affair
When Galileo Galilei championed the heliocentric model, claiming the Earth orbited the sun, his ideas clashed with Catholic doctrine. The Church, determined to preserve its intellectual and spiritual authority, put Galileo on trial and placed him under house arrest. His writings were banned, and for centuries, the geocentric worldview remained official Church policy. This suppression delayed the acceptance of revolutionary astronomical truths. Discover more about Galileo’s struggle with authority on History.com.
