Why do you think galileo chose to recant ?

The answer is : What he withdrew was his insistence that the heliocentric theory represented the absolute truth. He did that when challenged by the Vatican to come up with a demonstration that it was true, which he could not do. However after Galileo's lifetime further discoveries were made that showed that the heliocentric theory was better than the other possible theories and it is now generally accepted.Hope this helps! Good Luck!:)