I, Galileo Galilei, have been called upon by You, the most Eminent and Reverend of lord Cardinals, with charges of acts of heresy against the Church. However, I have by no means, contradicted the church. I do not believe in such actions. I have simply, as a humble astronomer, studied the heavens and stars of the night sky. Simply found new evidence and observed the way the stars and planets move. The idea that the stars and other planets revolve around the earth has been believed for thousands of years, and nearly everybody, including myself have believed that it was true.
Despite that, the recent observations that I have made leads me to conclude that the universe was not the way we had thought we knew. The behavior of the other planets, including Jupiter, have shown signs that foretell that in fact, they move around the sun and not our great mother earth. The telescope, one of my great inventions, have shown me the true sight of what is really going on beyond the clouds. In fact, the only thing that revolves around great mother earth is the moon.
This new knowledge absolutely puts no harm to the Church's power. It is simply stating that our previous ideas were wrong. God had created the universe, so perhaps this was meant to be discovered. I do not challenge Christianity nor the power of the Pope. Think of what this knowledge would do to civilization as we know it! Navigational devices could become much more advanced. Ships could sail more accurately and they would not get lost easily. Philosophies would change! Our civilization would advance, all the while keeping the Church in power.
Therefore, I, Galileo Galilei, son of the late Vincenzio Galilei of Florence, shall not eradicate my belief of the heliocentric universe. Because it is no longer a belief, but a fact. I urge the court to reconsider my punishment and see clearly for what the universe really is. However, I will face today's punishment if I must. Please see the truth. Thank you for your time.
Despite that, the recent observations that I have made leads me to conclude that the universe was not the way we had thought we knew. The behavior of the other planets, including Jupiter, have shown signs that foretell that in fact, they move around the sun and not our great mother earth. The telescope, one of my great inventions, have shown me the true sight of what is really going on beyond the clouds. In fact, the only thing that revolves around great mother earth is the moon.
This new knowledge absolutely puts no harm to the Church's power. It is simply stating that our previous ideas were wrong. God had created the universe, so perhaps this was meant to be discovered. I do not challenge Christianity nor the power of the Pope. Think of what this knowledge would do to civilization as we know it! Navigational devices could become much more advanced. Ships could sail more accurately and they would not get lost easily. Philosophies would change! Our civilization would advance, all the while keeping the Church in power.
Therefore, I, Galileo Galilei, son of the late Vincenzio Galilei of Florence, shall not eradicate my belief of the heliocentric universe. Because it is no longer a belief, but a fact. I urge the court to reconsider my punishment and see clearly for what the universe really is. However, I will face today's punishment if I must. Please see the truth. Thank you for your time.