[defrost]

It was never a grand Science Vs Church issue, not at the time at least, that came perhaps later with legend.

It wan't even the case that the Pope (in person) was mad with Galileo for being used as a Simplicio caricature and figure of fun in his work.

All the data used came from church funded observatories and church backed astronomers, all the main ideas from both sides of the debate came from church funded theorists.

The crux of the dispute and the trial was pretty much that Galileo was a dedicated edgelord who had decades of pissing people off and making enemies on his ledger.

Think less about religion Vs science and more about maverick asshole vs. faction within giant bureaucracy.

Once Galileo had "insulted the Pope" the knives came out and his enemies struck, it was a pure show trial fueled by personal vindictiveness that came from being the target of savage biting insults.

[acqq]

Still:

- the church officially wrote that the Earth is the center

- that the Holy Scripture says so and

- whoever says differently is heretic

and the Earth was never the center.

[defrost]

None of which had much to do with the persecution of Galileo.

The Catholic Church has changed its stance on many things through time, see [history].

In this instance the Church itself had officially requested a presentation be made to demonstrate various arguments for and against different viewpoints .. one of which was that the heavens didn't rotate about the earth.

It wasn't a surprise that such a well known hypothetical should appear in a book commissioned to outline such hypotheticals.