Mahatma Gandhi

The Dominance and Influence of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe

• The Catholic Church was the dominant religious institution in medieval Europe, regulating the daily lives of people from all levels of society.
• The church was believed to be the manifestation of God's will on earth and its dictates were not to be questioned, despite the rampant corruption of many members of the clergy.
• The power of the church was challenged during the Black Plague pandemic, but dissent was crushed and heretical sects were massacred until the Protestant Reformation.
• After the fall of the Roman Empire, the medieval church rose in status and power, becoming the dominant power in Europe.
• The church was extremely wealthy, receiving donations from many levels of society through tithing and valuing material possessions for the glory of God.
• The sale of indulgences and relics brought controversy, but the church also distributed charity and provided places of refuge and healing.
• Village life revolved around the church, with people attending prayer and services multiple times a day.
• The Jews were treated badly and lived in their own neighborhoods surrounded by Christians.
• The church maintained the belief in Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God and that those who did not adhere to the orthodox view of the church were heretical.
• The interpretation of the Bible was the responsibility of the clergy, who were a spiritual necessity to talk to God or understand the Bible correctly.
• The church had an established hierarchy, with the Pope as the head, and maintained the social hierarchy, with social mobility being extremely rare.
• The fear of excommunication and the threat of hell kept people in line with the doctrine and ensured obedience to the church, even mobilizing the richest people in Europe to fight on its behalf during the Crusades.