Controversies
In 1990, Pope John Paul II faced small protests in his only visit to La Sapienza.
On January 15, 2008 the Vatican cancelled a planned visit to La Sapienza University by Pope Benedict XVI who was to speak at the university ceremony launching the 2008 academic year due to protests by some students and professors. The title of speech should have been 'The Truth Makes Us Good and Goodness is Truth'. Some students and professors protested in reaction to a 1990 speech that Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) gave in which he, in their opinion, endorsed the actions of the church against Galileo in 1633.
Other controversies include the murder of Professor Ezio Tarantelli in 1985, the murder of Marta Russo in 1997, the "Law School scandal" in 2003, the "Parentopoli scandal" in 2010 and the award given to Muammar Gaddafi on June 10, 2009 (Medaglia d'Oro dell'Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"). This award is an institutional gift given by Sapienza to foreign authorities visiting the University. During his visit, Gaddafi participated in a meeting with Sapienza's students, where he was asked about a number of controversial aspects regarding Libya's political choices, such as human rights of migrants, gender equality and free elections.
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