A year after Copernicus completed his book on the movement of the earth around the sun, hia fellow-scholar Johann Widmannstetter delivered lectures in Rome outlining Copernicus' theory. Pope Clement VII and several Catholic cardinals heard the lectures -- they were scholars themselves ---and were favorably impressed.
Cardinal Nikolaus von Schönberg wrote to him that "everybody" held him in high regard because of his "new cosmology." He continued, "I entreat you, most learned sir, unless I inconvenience you, to communicate this discovery of yours to scholars, and at the earliest possible moment to send me your writings on the sphere of the universe together with the tables and whatever else you have that is relevant to this subject ..."
Copernicus subsequently dedicated his masterpiece to Pope Paul III.
As to his burial --- after his death in 1473, he was buried in the Frauenburg (Frombork) Cathedral itself. Does any think that indicates he died in disgrace?
BTW, Galileo didn't die in disgrace, either: he died reconciled to his old friend Pope Urban, and was buried inside the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. Interesting info on that here: See #3 and #4 (Link).
But as Chesterton wrote 100 years ago, "Any stick is good enough to hit the Catholic Church with..." (Sigh.)
But anyway, DogByte, I love that Matejko painting!
You wrote:
“BTW, Galileo didn’t die in disgrace, either: he died reconciled to his old friend Pope Urban, and was buried inside the Church of Santa Croce in Florence.”
Which was - ever so briefly - my parish! Dante’s tomb is also there (but his body is in Ravenna if I remember correctly!).
Both Copernik and Galileo had their work, ideas and revelations condemned/banned by the CC. To say otherwise is sickening.