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For most Jesuits, after the publication of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543), the center of the universe continued to be occupied by the Earth. As a head of mathematicians at the Collegio Romano, C. Clavius attacked Copernicus based on astronomical reasons. One of the essentials was the motion and position of inferior planets, Venus and Mercury. In some ancient world-systems, these planets were made to rotate around the Sun and their motions were discussed among astronomers in order to evaluate the heliostatic solution. Clavius did retear the geocentric hypothesis. A few decades later, another Jesuit in Bologna, Giovanni Battista Riccioli, put Venus and Mercury around the Sun. This paper will analyze the different premises, demonstrative techniques and solutions between Clavius and Riccioli.
