Galileo's astronomical discoveries were met with both excitement and skepticism within the scientific community. The Catholic Church initially showed some interest, but also raised concerns about the implications of heliocentrism for biblical interpretation.

Galileo was denounced to the Roman Inquisition for his support of heliocentrism. Dominican friar Niccolò Lorini sent a copy of Galileo's letter to Castelli (in which Galileo discussed how scripture should be interpreted in light of scientific findings) to the Inquisition. This initiated a formal investigation.

The Roman Inquisition declared heliocentrism to be 'false and contrary to Scripture.' Galileo was summoned to Rome and warned by Cardinal Bellarmine not to hold or defend heliocentric ideas. However, there is some debate about the exact nature of this warning.

Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, a known admirer of Galileo, was elected Pope Urban VIII. Galileo believed that this new Pope would be more receptive to his ideas.

Galileo traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Urban VIII, seeking permission to write about heliocentrism as a hypothetical theory. While the Pope did not explicitly grant permission, he encouraged Galileo to explore the topic and write about all sides of the argument.

Galileo published "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems", a book presenting arguments for both the geocentric and heliocentric models. Although he claimed to be presenting both sides fairly, the book clearly favored the heliocentric view. This book infuriated Pope Urban VIII, who felt betrayed by Galileo's violation of the 1616 injunction and the mockery of the Pope's own arguments (expressed through the character Simplicio).

Galileo was summoned to Rome and put on trial by the Inquisition. He was found guilty of heresy and forced to recant his support for heliocentrism. He was sentenced to formal imprisonment, which was almost immediately commuted to house arrest.