Why was the Catholic Church threatened by the new discoveries the scientific revolution

One of the most pervasive, anti-Catholic interpretations of history is the notion that the Church opposed science. Yes, Galileo was condemned to house arrest for his heliocentric theory; but that was the extent of 'persecution' of science in the Early Modern period.

In reality, the Church participated in the scientific revolution through its universities and also patronized scientific research. For example, the Gregorian calendar was developed because the Vatican supported astronomical observations to accurately calculate the length of a year. Many scientists in the Early modern period were priests who made notable contributions. Two names that come to mind are Pierre Gassendi and Lazzaro Spallanzani. Pope Benedict XIV went so far as to patronize women scientists, a fairly radical measure for his time.

The perception that the Church "opposed science" is based on the false premise that religion and science are opposed; that if believers had their eyes opened to authentic science, they would reject faith. In the Catholic worldview, faith and scientific laws have the same origin: God. Neither are opposed to each other. They simply deal with different types of knowledge.