Having spent 15 years researching the geocentrism/heliocentrism clash in history it is no surprise to me that the 'Galileo case' still has the power to cause a pope in modern times to back away from an invitation to speak at one of the world's oldest and largest universities. The reason for this is clear, it is because the collective intelligences of both Church and State have been deceived by the most sinister fraud in history, that is, that Galileo was vindicated by science and subsequently the nature of the 1616/1633 Galileo case is now viewed retrospectively. Given relativity of space cannot be overcome by the empirical method, this vindication is false. Heliocentricism is but a consensus, not science, a preferred system, not a proven system, so Galileo was never proven right nor the Church wrong. Thus the Galileo case then was reasonable and just. But Churchmen went along with the sham and there lies the scandal, they now trying to have their 1633 cake and their 1741 U-turn.

redmond O'Hanlon, Churchtown, Dublin 14, Ireland

Blah blah, "small minority" blah "violence" balh. This man's dogma all but promotes the spread of AIDS and effectively keeps the Third World in that position. That these students have stood against one the the world's great accepted evils is magnificent. Bravo!

Mike, Bristol, England,

So this is an embarrassment to the Pope? Really.

B.D. Kelly, Brackley,

Excellent news!

Let's hope our Italian friends continue to move away from the despicable dogma of this church and those whose only goal is to furthur it.

M. Smith, London,

Hello I’m a law student. From the point of view of our constiution I cannot but disagree with the letter of teatchers who unwelcomed the Pope,because everyone has the right to express his points of view whatever they are. But the governement has confirmed that there would have been no public order problems and so Vatican also admitted. Of course there would have been protests(by really few people,as everyone knows in Italy and as the Vatican has also admitted) but this does not mean that He has been censored.This point is crucial and it's well hidden by italian press(as usual).The point is that this Pope(differently from the last one,who was received and contested by few) doesn't want that the media shows him contested and now he is trying to appear as a victim.He is not so, because in Italy he is constantly on every newstv expressing his points of view without being contraddicted(as any non-italian who has ever seen an italian newstv can see) more than any other religious leader.

Jagopola, Arezzo, Italy

Hello I’m a law student. From the point of view of our constiution I cannot but disagree with the letter of teatchers who unwelcomed the Pope,because everyone has the right to express his points of view whatever they are. But the governement has confirmed that there would have been no public order problems and so Vatican also admitted. Of course there would have been protests(by really few people,as everyone knows in Italy and as the Vatican has also admitted) but this does not mean that He has been censored.This point is crucial and it's well hidden by italian press(as usual).The point is that this Pope(differently from the last one,who was received and contested by few) doesn't want that the media shows him contested and now he is trying to appear as a victim.He is not so, because in Italy he is constantly on every,every, newstv expressing his points of view without being contraddicted(as any non-italian who has ever seen an italian newstv can see) more thanother religious leader

Francesco, arezzo, Italy

As a long-time resident in Italy I know just how strongly the Vatican intervenes (many would say interferes) in Italian culture and politics. It is, of course, highly embarrassing to invite a speaker and then have to accept his inability to take up the invitation. This is something that the rector of the university could have pondered before making an invitation.
However, debate is never particularly well informed here. The incriminating phrases are taken from a 1990 speech in which the Pope cites Feyerabend's defence of the church's handling of Galileo. It is not really clear whether or not the then Cardinal Ratzinger espouses this opinion; he merely describes it as "more drastic" than a reflection made by Ernst Bloch about the separate spheres of science and religion. I would have expected the protest to have focused on the question of Darwinism vs divine intervention, which the Pope has tackled vigorously and vociferously in the very recent past.

Tim, Milan, Italy

the Pope is intollerant and with his out-of-date mentality doesn't help any modern spirit or soal to reach the Heaven . It is unbelievable the influence of the Vatican in politics and in other Italan affairs...
Amelia, Urbino, Italy

Amelia, Urbino, Italy

Shame! This is not my country's image, I's only a list of useless men!

Alberto, Vigevano, ItalY

To , James, Cambridge
Actually, the head of the university (and only him) invited the Pope and not the University....
The protest is backed by world-class scientists who think, with good reason, that Ratzinger is intolerant of any other thought that is not that of the Roman Catholic Church.

Unfortunately, I've seen that the Pope's speech is only available in Italian. I can summarize the core of it: The science have to be submitted, IN ANY CASE, to faith in the ONLY god of us. Who is this god?. The god of the Roman Church, obviously. Actually, this means: the VAtican have to have the last word.

I think the Pope is one of the most intollerant and dangerous people in the world. If you don't know Italy, you won't understand the influence of the Vatican in our politics.
For this reason I want to give my honour to dcientists that have disrupted the visit of the Pope in The La SApienza University.

Pier Paolo, York, UK

I am sure that the real reason for cancelling the visit goes back to the late 60, when Cardinal Ratzinger was a Professor of Theology in Tübingen: he got something like a trauma, when left students disrupted his lectures - he was deeply shocked about such a behaviour in the aftermath of the 1968 students' protests. Those days he was a very modern thinking Theologist after Vatican II.

Gerd, London,

Some of the commenters have not realised that the university was happy to invite the Pope, and indeed did so. The visit was cancelled due to the threat of violent protest by a very small minority of students .

James, Cambridge,

The Vatican said they avoided the visit not for a matter of security of the pope but for safeguarding his "image"...
Pure marketing of religion in the age of secularisation...now they're trying to sell it via media...selling religion after selling politics in Italy, but if the message is good u don't need to sell it....

Diego, Roma,

I agree with theachers and students of the La Sapienza University. If the church had respected everyone, everyone would have respect for the church. This is a small step for the world and a big step for Italy.

Dario Giannelli, Pisa, Italy

To be consistent, isn't it about time that all universities got rid of the pseudo-science of "theology". How can anybody study an object (theo) that doesn't exist?
Religion can be adequately and comprehensively dealt with in Philosophy, Sociology, History and Anthropology.

alan, germany,

To everyone who says "this goes against freedom of speech and illuminist dialogue between different thinkers":

No one would expect the Church to invite Richard Dawkins to have an official speech in Saint Peter.

So, why the University should be expected to gladly invite Joseph Ratzinger?

Freedom of speech of both Dawkins and Ratzinger are not in jeopardy. The pope should have the right to say whatever he thinks - and I'd fight for this right, in the unlikely circumstance it is effectively put in jeopardy. Simply, the inauguration of the Academic Year of a lay, state university, is not the place for the pope to express his views, just like St.Peter's pulpit is not the place for a scientist to express his own.

Massimo Sandal, Ph.D., Bologna, Italy

My opinion is tht the Pope is interfering too much in Italian politics and this is a Pope extremely retrogad who cannot give any reasonable contribute. The teachers and students of the La Sapenza University are free to be unwilling to receive in their premises a Pope who represents a Church against science and its progresses. Freedom is freedom and has to be such for everybody, not only for the Pope to go where he is not desired.

Roberto Castellano, Salsomaggiore, Italy

It appears that we Italians still have to learn much about freedom and how to use it.
Culturate people, as students are supposed to be, imho should contest the pope face-to-face in a civil debate.
Loud protests against a University head requested visit appear to be only verbal violence.

M.L.Premuda - RC - Italy

Mario L.Premuda, San Ferdinando - RC, ITALY

Dear M from Milwaukee,
I am not a patriottic one, but you can not really say that Italy produced only music and fast cars. That's a very offensive statement against a country that contributed more than many others to the western culture and civilization. You don't have any idea of how much Church is powerful and oppressive here. We could even say the only Big Brother in Italy is the Vatican. You show a big misunderstanding about Italy and liberalism, my friend.

I remember to everyone is talking of betrayal of enlightment principles that nobody has been killed, threatened or muted: just many professors, lecturers and students DID NOT like the visit and lesson of a medieval, intollerant, arrogant defender of obscurantism, and they said it loudly. Is that a crime? Benedict XVI has canceled the visit to be able to act like a victim.

Sorry for my English!

Carlo B., Cagliari, Italy

I am greatly edified to hear that Ratzinger has cancelled his 'visit' to the university following mounting student/staff protest.

Religious obscurantism as exemplified by the ‘infallible’ Ratzinger & Co. has all but been driven out of places of learning and should never be allowed to return

redtsar, Lancs,

How can it be victory of reason? One kind of reason only, scientific secularist atheist. It is betrayal of the fundamental principles of the enlightenment that of free thinking and tolerance of the diversity of ideas.By all means mount a protest but lobbying for the supression of free speech by academic thinkers is absurd.

Annie, alyesbury, uk

Hello everybody,
my name is Marco Vasselli and I am a 20 year old student of engineering right from La Sapienza, I have been very interested in the facts of the previous days for I feel directly involved as a student.
Despite the fact I consider myself a "scientific thinker" I felt strongly disappointed by my fellow students's protest, they really proved to the World how narrow-minded they are.
I am not fond of the pope in general, and of this one in particular, but I do think some frantic declarations should not be even taken in consideration.
If they do not accept the pope as a religious head, they might accept him both as the head of the Vatican state and as a great theologian because I can not believe men of science(as they call themselves) and, i thought, great culture are not open to the dialogue.
The University is a lay institution and has to remain lay, but this must not be an excuse for not respecting a man or to let in the university only the people someone likes.
Marco

Marco, Rome, Italy

I am not surprised by the logic coming from the Italians here. Having been born in Italy (I have an Italian parent and Italian nationality) I was subjected first hand to this aberrant logic. The majority of Italians have never understood true liberalism. They are naturally State-ists and generally afraid of their own independence from a Big Brother State. They have slowly become ideologues that have produced nothing of any real culture in over 400 years (except for music and fast cars). So am I surprised by the behavior and comments? Not a bit!

M, Milwaukee, USA

I am happy that someone in my country found the courage to reject the pervasiveness of the catholic church. They are suffocating my country, trying to enforce their own vision on everyone, advocating persecution of homosexuals, subduing reason to faith and dogma, and playing martyrs when they are thwarted by people who reject their arrogance.

Antonio Moschitta, Foligno, Italy

I am writing from Florence, a city once known for its freedom.
I think that the issue has had much more media interest than deserved except for the last development. Well, I believe in the freedom of speech and in freedom itself, and for once I consider a violation of these freedoms as an extremely good news for Italy. Really you can't understand abroad how invasive is the Church in Italy they are everywere, talking of everything and pretendingi to decide for us. Often our ludicrous politician, no matter if they are from the right or the left, get on their knee in front of a prelate saying "I obey". This is the first time we have been able to refuse their undesired advices

diego, Florence , Italy

It's absolutely amazing how quick our politicians are to defend the pope. They are indeed much slower when civil rights are to be discussed. We still need around 15 years to get divorced, there are no gay rights of any kind and recently there is a new wave of pressure against the right to abort in a clinic going on.

It's really sad to see that Italy is still the only country (maybe except Poland) in Europe which is indeed ruled by the Vatican.
If you happen to watch our News on TV, you'll notice how strong is the media coverage for whatever the pope does, no matter the channel.

While this could be considered a victory for those who care about a Country ruled by the citizens rather than by the Church, it will give our servile PMs the opportunity to show how slimy they truly are.

And I have no doubt the Church will find a way revenge.
I do hope the European legislation is going to help this Country to regain the enormous gap it has compared to the rest of Europe in term of rights.

Giulio, Bologna, Italy

It this a victory of the reason against the darkness of the religion!
viva!!

Pier Paolo, YORK, UK