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If you read some of the more recent studies of the Galileo controversy, you will find several points admitted. First, the Pope was a friend and supporter of Galileo, and had no objection to his work until Galileo insisted that his contention that the sun was at the center of the solar system was not just a scientific theory but a proven fact. After a group of Aristotelian scientists complained, the Pope said, it's fine to call it a theory, just don't call it a fact. But Galileo refused to back down. So he was put under comfortable house arrest, as a protective measure by his friend the Pope, who didn't want to see anything worse happen to him.

This is remarkably bizarre spin on the actual events.

As it happens, it is a fact that the sun is at the center of the solar system. But knowledgeable historians of science are careful to point out that Galileo was scientifically unable to prove it to be factual.

To date no one can *still* "prove it to be factual". There's no such thing as ironclad "proof" in this reality. Nor does science deal in "proofs".

Your handwaving utterly fails to excuse the Church's behavior in that debacle.

The simple-minded idea that Christianity is closed-minded and discourages scientific advances simply does not hold up to careful historical reading.

Have you *read* some of the replies on this thread?

The contrary argument, that religion was an impediment to science, is the work of anti-Catholic bigots and anti-Christian atheists.

I repeat the question.

There is, even today, a great deal of religiously-motivated resistance and often outright hostility to science, and to science education.