The Pope and free speech

Pope Benedict XVI canceled a speech at a Rome university after protesters called him anti-science. It looks like American universities aren

What happened

Pope Benedict XVI canceled a speaking engagement at Rome’s La Sapienza University last week in response to protests by dozens of faculty and students. The protesters, led by Marcellio Cini, a professor emeritus of physics, said the pope held antiquated views on science, citing a 1990 speech in which Benedict quoted a philosopher who backed the church’s 1633 heresy trial of Galileo. The protest was widely criticized as an attack against free speech, and more than 100,000 people gathered Sunday in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square to show support for the pope. (AFP in The New York Times)

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