Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-20
CALICO,
His Citation Before the Holy office
for Heretical Opinions.

His Citation Before the Holy office
for HereticaI Opinions.
EDITORS HERALD - In yesterdays
HERALD John Shirley Ward stated
"The belief that the sun revolves around
the earth was a part of the Historic
Faith of the Roman Church for hundreds
of years, and when Gslileo, in 1913, de.
clared thSt the sun was immovable in
the center of the worlds, and that the
earth had dirunal motion, he was met
by the anathemas of the church declar-
ing his first proposition absurd in philos-
ophy and formally heretical, because con-
trary to the scriptures, and that the
second vase open to the same censure in
philosophy and st least as erroneous to
faith" Now, in the first place, no anath-
ema Was pronounced against Calico
by the Holy Office of the Inquieition,
which was composed of Cardinals and
consultors selected from the secular and
regular clergy. 1t was they who CEN
sured the above mentioned propositions
without any anathema attached, because
they conficted with passages of Holy
Scripture according to the meaning of
it's words and the explanation and sense
of the holy fathers and learned theo-
logians."
That the doctrinal qualifications given
by the theologians. had little or no
weight with the Pope, is proved by an
other document found in the extant
records OF the trial. On the 25th OF
February-that is two days after the de-
cision of the Holy Office-Cardinal
BoIlarmin0 by order of the
Pope, summoned Calico and adj.
monished him to give up Ibis
opinion (not heresy) on the immobility
of the sun, etc., and in case he refused,
the Commissary of the Holy Office. 10
presence of a notary and witnesses, was
to command him not to teach or defend
or treat of such doctrine and opinion.
This order was executed the day after
namely, on the Goth OF February--in the
name OF the Pope and Holy Office. And
Calico promised solemnly to obey the
orders given to him. From these facts
taken from the records OF the trial, we
learn that the reckless qualification of
acceptable to, much less confirmed by
the Pope, since he styles the Copernican
theory as taught by Calico an opinion, }"
duu luufooFoi. 0iEcCtou tllat OAl1l0O
should be admonished to abstain from
teaching the opinion in question. He is
obliged to retract nothing. No penalty
is imposed upon him as if he were a
hereto. To this Cardinal Bellarmine
testified in writing, and an audience
"benigniesima acknowledgement TO
Calico by the Pope, fortnight after, on
the 18th of March, confirmed the Cardi-
NAILS testimony. 1t was the duty of the
Roman Congregation of he Index to
prevent scandal arising from the teach
ing of theory which, at the time, was
based only on a conjecture, which was
even scientifically false, and was alto
gether opposed to Holy Scripture as it
was then generally understood. By it's
decision the Congregation of the Index
hindered men from teaching a sys-
tenn, as true, which they did
not know to be go, and upheld
the sacredness eff the text of Holy Writ
until valid reasons could be given for
changing its Interpretation. Even in q
scientific point Of view the tribunal which
passed the decree of 1915 ia not as cul.
pable as is supposed. According to
Calico, the sun is altogether immovable.
Now the contrary has been at present
demonstrated. "Still it moves" 1t ives
Galileo-and this is the secret of his
condemnation-who was the first to see
an absolute contradiction between the
Stand, o, sun !" Of Joshua and the rota-
ton of the earth. Still Francis Arago, one
of the most illustrious astronomers OF the
nineteenth century doesn't fear to affirm
that even though Joshua had known
that the earth revolves, he would have
been obliged to express by his "Stand,
o, sun !" the effect which he wished to
obtain, namely, the stopping of the
earth in space and the prolongation OF
day. At present, and to the end of ages,
the positions of the earth in it's orbit
must be called solstices. Astronomers,
the decided partisans of the Copernican
system, speak as did all ancient and
modern people; as the learned and
ignorant; as do the Holy Scriptures, OF
the rising and setting Of the sun; of the
Gun passing through the twelve signs of
the zodiac in a word, under the penalty
of not being understood, we are obliged
to speak of physical phenomena accord
ing to appearances.
CLEMENT MoLoNEY.
Los Angeles, Nov. Is.