Why did the Roman Catholic Church forbid people to read a book by Copernicus?

Answer 1

Because in that book Copernicus explained that the Sun is in the centre of our galaxy with the Earth and other planets revolving around it (eliocentric system, elio=sun in greek, means a system with the sun at the centre). At the time the Church believed that the galaxy had the Earth in the middle and the Sun and other planets around it, in accordance to The Bible; also the Church's theologist claimed that as man is the most important of God's creatures the planet that is man's home must be in the centre of the universe. Therefore the Church at the time considered the book by Copernicus heretical, as Kepler and Galileus were later considered to be, for the same reasons.

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Catholic AnswerRoman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the Catholic Church.

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Actually at the time that Copernicus lived, he secured all the permissions he needed from the Church and even dedicated his book to the reigning Pope, he remained a good Catholic and the Church did not, at that time, condemn his notions, unlike the protestants: Martin Luther was vehement in his condemnations. Later, in the next century, when the Church was under assault from so many other quarters, Copernicus work was frowned upon.