Protests at an Italian university demonstrate that religious intolerance is alive and kicking at one of Europe's leading higher education centres.
The Vatican abandoned plans for the pontiff to speak at La Sapienza University following a protest by secular academics and left-students, which appears to be more of an excuse to prevent a religious influence over students rather than a concerted effort to defend their scientific views.
Although Vatican officials had earlier decided the visit would still go ahead, they eventually sent a transcript of the speech instead, with unofficial reasons for cancelling including safety concerns after the citing of a near 20-year-old statement was used as the excuse by protestors.
The Pope’s Views
As the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope has promoted the idea of Creationism in place of science and in doing so has attacked the scientific idea of free thought while advancing heterosexuality in place of homosexuality.
In the 1990s, while the current Pope was a mere Cardinal, he released a statement which included suggestions that the trial of Galileo for heresy was justified because of his support for the Copernican theory of the universe, which placed the sun at the centre rather than the Earth.
Reaction from the University
The Pope was invited by Professor Guarini to speak at La Sapienza University and the decision was originally met with great anticipation.
Yet 67 science professors later signed a letter to Guarini in protest of Benedict’s marginalisation of the role of science in the universe. Mathematics lecturer Sergio Doplicher said, "I have no objection to the Pope coming to give us his blessing but have serious reservations about him restating the supremacy of faith over science and of moral principles over the lay values protected by the Italian Constitution." (Source: The Times Online)
The letter highlighted the Pope’s view which they said was "incompatible" with the university's secular mission.
University Intolerance Is Just Narrow-Mindedness
La Sapienza, which was founded by Pope Boniface VIII in 1303, also gave Pope John Paul II a tough time when he visited in 1991. Benedict XVI’s predecessor indicated that Galileo’s treatment was unjustified in hindsight but the 1990 comments which have been dragged up again indicate just how intolerant the Italian university really is.
Universities are about sharing and understanding different points of view and the prospect of welcoming such a distinguished visiting speaker shouldn’t be ruined by a narrow-minded minority who refuse who listen to someone from outside their scientific “bubble”.
Although a political sciences hall burst into applause at the news of the cancellation, it’s a shame that a hundred protestors out of 145,000 students and less than 2% of the university’s professors have had such a dramatic and devastating effect on the learning and reputation of the establishment.
This has been nothing more than straightforward religious intolerance by secular academics and likeminded students against one of the most highly respected religious positions in the world.
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