Did Nicolas Copernicus go to church?

Answer 1

Not really. At the time, part of the Roman Catholic church's doctrine was that Man and the Earth were God's only and greatest creation, and therefore the center of the Universe. Copernicus was the nephew of and ambassador for a Roman Catholic Bishop at the time he was formulating his theory that the Earth orbits the Sun. It seems to have been viewed with mild surprise by then Pope Paul III. Questions of heresy don't seem to have come up until Giovanni Tolosani listed his ideas, among many others, as subversive to the absolute truth of Scripture. This criticism doesn't seem to have amounted to much excitement until Galilieo's battles with the Church.

Answer 2

A:

No. The Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) was a loyal Catholic. He was also a very sensible man who knew that anyone who opposed Church doctrine was branded a heretic and could not only be excommunicated but even executed. He avoided this fate by delaying publication of his major work, On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres, until after he died. Some time after its eventual publication, the book was placed on the Church's list of Prohibited Books, but at least Copernicus was not excommunicated during his lifetime.

Answer

Nicolaus Copernicus was a loyal son of the Church and was never excommunicated. His work was approved of by the pope at that time, and he dedicated his works, in their published form, to the pope. From The Christian Science Monitor: (see full article at the link below)

Unlike Galileo and other controversial astronomers, however, Copernicus had a good relationship with the Catholic Church. It may come as a surprise, considering the Church banned Copernicus' "Des revolutionibus" for more than 200 years. Copernicus was actually respected as a canon and regarded as a renowned astronomer. Contrary to popular belief, the Church accepted Copernicus' heliocentric theory before a wave of Protestant opposition led the Church to ban Copernican views in the 17th century. . . . The astronomer published "De revolutionibus" in March 1543, after more than a decade of revisions. The book included a letter to Pope Paul III arguing the legitimacy of the heliocentric theory. He died two months later.

Answer 3

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who was convicted of heresy in 1633.

Answer 4

No, Copernicus died of a stroke in 1543 and was in good stead with the Catholic Church at the time.