Why did the Church Have Difficulty Accepting Heliocentrism, but Not Evolution?

Actually, the Church didn’t have trouble with heliocentrism per se, because Nicolaus Copernicus taught the same before Galileo and without Church reprimand. In addition, regarding evolution, the Church has made clear that any evolution has to recognize God’s guiding hand in the process vs. an atheistic, materialistic variety. For more on the Galileo affair, see our tract and related resources. See also our resources on evolution.