It wasn't huge news in America, but the cancellation of a speech by Pope Benedict XVI scheduled at Sapienza University of Rome caught my attention.
Some students and faculty threatened to disrupt his appearance if the Pope came. At the center of the objection was a 20 year old speech in which, they claimed, he indicated support for the 17th-century heresy trial against Galileo.
It's ironic that by preventing the pope from speaking, they committed the same sin as Galileo faced. They silenced the debate.
La Sapienza means "wisdom". For a university that was founded by one of the pope's predecessors in 1303 it does not seem like much has been learned.
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