Final answer:
The inquisition's trial of Galileo was influenced by the Church's desire to maintain authority amidst challenging scientific discoveries, making the trial unjustified from a scientific perspective.
Step-by-step explanation:
The trial of Galileo by the Inquisition for espousing heretical ideas was not justified. It was influenced by the Church's desire to maintain authority in a period of scientific discovery that contradicted long-held beliefs.
Galileo's adoption of the Copernican heliocentric model challenged the Church's geocentric doctrine, which positioned Earth at the center of the universe. This was seen as heretical and threatening to the Church's authority. To reconcile its power and control, the Church deemed Galileo's findings "false and absurd", consequently condemning him to house arrest.
The condemnation of Galileo exemplifies the tension between religious dogma and scientific progress. It wasn't until centuries later that the Church admitted its error in censoring Galileo's ideas, acknowledging the importance of scientific observation and evidence over outdated doctrines.