The Role Of The Roman Catholic Church In The 1500's
598 Words3 Pages
I do not agree with the view that the Roman Catholic Church was on the brink of collapse by the early 1500’s.This is due to the fact that whilst the church had instances of abuse and corruption, they remained all powerful and played a central role in the lives of many ordinary people.
The members of the Roman Catholic Church were highly respected and highly influential; this was a result of being associated with the church. The Church at this time was thriving, they were the only faith practiced in Western Europe and operated effectively with the Pope as their head. We can see that Church was prosperous through the large amounts of money that was left to the Church in the wills of loyal and devoted Catholics. The Catholic Church was firmly engrained in not only the spiritual aspects of ordinary people’s lives but also the social and economic. The Church was able to be this way as they were the main and most powerful institution of knowledge that was available to…show more content… This established position in society could be seen through the active participation in any festivals and processions the Church had. The position of the Church in the economy could be seen through taxations (tithes) and the money left to the Church in wills , both the festivals and the money left to the Church reinforce the idea that the Church was powerful and thriving, far from the brink of collapse.
Whilst the Catholic Church played a vital role in the lives of ordinary people, they were unethical and abused their power, which could play part in pushing them to the brink of collapse. The Catholic Church’s relationship between