An Italian court’s conviction of six scientists and an ex-official for giving inadequate information to the city of l’Aquila just before it was devastated by an earthquake has been compared with the papal condemnation of Galileo in 1633. The judge stands accused of ignoring the scientific truth that earthquakes cannot be predicted, and of seeking scapegoats to appease the embittered population.

意大利一家法院判处6名科学家及1名政府官员有罪，理由是他们在拉奎拉市遭地震摧毁的几天前，向该市提供了有问题的信息。已经有人拿这件事与1633年教皇判处伽利略(Galileo Galilei)有罪相比。人们指责法官无视地震不可能被预测的科学事实、为安抚受灾居民而寻找替罪羊。

To be fair to the court, this is a misrepresentation of its verdict. The magistrate acknowledged that earthquakes cannot be predicted. However, he found the defendants had painted an overly reassuring picture to calm a panicking population. This position was taken after an official meeting held only a few days before the earthquake, and following months of tremors in the region.

公平而言，这是对法院判决的误读。该地方法官承认地震不可能被预测。但他认定，被告为安抚陷入恐慌的居民作出了过度安抚人心的表态。他们的表态是在拉奎拉地震数天之前经过正式会商后作出的，而在那之前的几个月里，该地区已发生过多次轻微地震。

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