That's the crux of the matter. Even by your own statement you have said Copernicus was wrong. "He was a lot closer than what the Church taught." Your exact words. And as you pointed out, the planets move approximately in elliptical orbits. And that was my main point and that is the nature of science. Every theory becomes more refined over time, but every theory is still not proven true. Science is incapable of proving a scientific theory correct. When tested, Copernicus was demonstrated wrong because his model did not fit observation even though it was simpler than the heliocentric model. Planets failed to move in a circular manner. Science simply eliminates theories that don't work and the ones that are left are a 'best fit' for observations. Even Newton did not get the orbits of the planets correct, but he was closer than Copernicus ever was. Application of relativity has further reduced the error in predicting planetary motion, but it is not perfect. So essentially, Copernicus had a good idea that has changed over time, but on an absolute scale, he was wrong. Even today, we are limited in how far into the future we can accurately predict planetary motion. That's the way science works. Science simply eliminates theories that don't work and the ones that are left are a 'best fit' for observations. Theories that are close can be refined, but if repeated observation of new facts emerges that are radically outside the domain of the current theory, an entirely new one is required. Evolution has stood this test and has been refined considerably since it was first proposed. Further advances in other areas of science, (e.g. genetics) have evidence that support evolution. In other words, the development of genetics as a science has not eliminated evolution as a viable theory.
Ok I accept that I was "slightly" wrong on Copernicus's theory originally being proven correct. The eccentricity of Earth's orbit is I believe 3 percent, right(and yes it is theorized it has been greater in the past)?? But the main gist of it... that the planets orbit the sun (ok the sun and planets orbit a point where the Sun is almost at the center... does that make you happy?). But he does appropriately explain other things such as why there are seasons due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, does he not?