October 31, 1992 - Pope John Paul II Affirms Galileo’s Theory

When Galileo published his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun in 1610, he stirred up controversy with the Roman Catholics who believed his position was heretical. The Church taught that the sun revolved around the Earth and not the other way around. Galileo theorized that waves and comets also proved that Earth was in solar orbit, and the Pope sentenced him to house arrest, where Galileo lived until he died. On October 31, 1992, Pope John Paul II publicly admitted Galileo was right, some 350 years after his death.