Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia: From Authentic SourcesGebler, Karl von
Religion
Galileo Galilei and the Roman Curia: From Authentic Sources
Gebler, Karl von
Astronomers -- Italy -- Biography; Catholic Church. Curia romana; Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642; Religion and science -- History
But Darü’s further inquiries seem to have been unsuccessful; anyhow, the
long-sought-for volume remained concealed for seventeen years longer. In
1845 Gregory XVI. requested Pelegrino Rossi, French ambassador at Rome,
who was devoted to the papacy, to use his influence to get the Acts
restored, if they should be discovered at Paris. This shows that it was
disbelieved at Rome that they could not be found. At first Rossi’s urgent
mediation only obtained the assurance from Louis Philippe that the Pope’s
cherished wish should be fulfilled, provided that the papers should be
found, but on the express condition that they should be published entire
at Rome. And as the curia, of course, promised to comply, the MS. which
had been mysteriously concealed for thirty-one years was “found” and
restored.
In 1848-9, when the Papal See was attacked by the revolutionary spirit
which pervaded Europe, the fugitive Pope, Pius IX., confided the
hardly-won documents to the prefect of the Secret Archives, Marino
Marini. He not only took good care of them, but took the opportunity of
fulfilling the obligation to the French Government incurred on their
restoration. On 12th April, 1850, the Pope returned from Gaeta to his
capital under the protection of French bayonets, and his thoughts must
soon have recurred to these documents, for on 8th May of the same year he
presented them to the Vatican Library. In the same year, also, Marini’s
work, “Galileo Galilei e l’Inquizione,” appeared at Rome, intended to be
the fulfilment of the French conditions.
We purposely say “intended to be,” for they were not really so at all.
The entire contents of the Vatican MS. were thereby by no means given
to the public, but such a sight of it as the editor thought proper, and
which was, as far as possible, an apology for the Inquisition. Instead of
the full original text of the Acts, the world only received disjointed
extracts, arbitrary fragments—in many instances nothing at all. Perhaps
it was perceived at head-quarters that a comparison of Marini’s work with
the documents would bring strange things to light, for they were suddenly
removed from the too public Vatican Library and placed among the papal
archives.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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