Why did the church persecute scientists?

Scientists were persecuted by the church because they posed a real threat. Church leaders were well aware that they were imposing a false teaching, and they themselves were swindlers. In the event of the spread of science and education among the broad masses, the church leaders faced inevitable death, their places of worship awaited desecration and destruction. Even the ancient Greeks suggested the theory of heliocentrism and understood that everything consists of smaller components. This was completely contrary to the teachings of the church. Bruno, Copernicus, Galileo. These names could completely destroy the teachings of the church. Moreover, in those days, the church was not separated from the state and the truth would have caused massive uprisings against the government.