This sounds medieval. Weren’t people persecuted for not going along with the status quo? Copernicus and such?
You're confusing Copernicus and Galileo. Copernicus' research into heliocentricity was funded by a bishop. The Church didn't have any problem with the theory, per se. Even Galileo was welcomed to the Vatican, but he ran afoul of the Church when he demanded that the Church teach heliocentricity as fact (Galileo's "proof" was actually erroneous) and worse, demanded that the Church teach Galileo's interpretation of particular Bible passages in light of his theory. (See The Galileo Controversy).
It may come as a surprise to some people that Copernicus dedicated his book, "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres," to Pope Urban, who Copernicus hoped would protect him from the more antagonistic Protestant "reformers."