Causes And Consequences Of The Roman Catholic Church

The Black Death and Great Famine of 14th century Europe were major crises, so when the Church, who was suppose to have an answer to everything, could not stop such occurrences, the people’s relationship with the Church was completely altered. Many scholars of the church died due to wide spread diseases and hunger ravaging Europe, leaving less adequate people behind to run the church. At the same time, those scholars that where alive did not give the people much hope or security because they were unable to give answers as to how to diminish these disasters. In return, the people slowly began to explore elsewhere for such answers, weakening the Church’s monopoly over the people’s every move. This expansion of thought brought about the emergence

The religious movement, a break of religion all over the where the main control of the catholic church broke. The ides of marriage were altered , “by which all that is the husband's is also the wife's” to show separation from the main part of religion (Luther document 4). Where people would not just give in to the christian way , “cannot submit [their] faith either to the Pope or to the Councils... frequently erred and contradicted eachother” because of these contradictions happening between the church's ranks (Luther document 8). The monks became vile , “breaking the vows of the church by having concubines and illegitimate children” their celibacy was now non existent (Bosch document 7). Also The added religions that formed at this time , “[They] ought not, by way of custom, to speak of predestination...they become negligent in the works” which all have changed their ways of how things happen which anger other. While people break the main religion religions produce like wildfire, however the were other thing affected at this period which made life in Europe drastically different, the social and political changes. The social and

After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no main dominating force in Europe to enforce laws and protection for the people. The Middle Ages had begun and without the Romans, life became centered around survival. The destabilization caused rates of illiteracy, disease, and deaths to rise dramatically and to remedy the average peasants worry, the feudalism system flourished and required work in exchange for the safety of manors. Yet while there was not a overlooking empire to look towards for authority, the Catholic Church served its role to bring all classes together (Document 6). The Middle Ages will be ultimately known as an age of faith because of the prevalence of violence, power of religion, and the Catholic Church’s preservation of knowledge.

Events that led to the degradation of the papacy and wider Church and therefore brought about the reform movement.

The periods during the Reformation, Industrial Revolution, and the World at War all experienced religious and church conflicts. During the Renaissance and Reformation (1330 – 1650), the fundamental practices of the church came under fire. The church at this time was the largest and most political body. The pope, himself, was the most recognizable political figure. It was due to this authority that the church and its pope were more interested in political issues and less with the spiritual needs of the people (McGraw-Hill, p. 76). Many of the Roman Catholic Church’s high priests had bought their way into position and had very little religious experience. Often the only members of the community that were literate were the clergy thus

In Western Europe during the early 16th century, there was one church, the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church has a hierarchical system which is headed by the pope and subsequently the cardinals, bishops, and priests respectively; the pope being seen as infallible as God himself. This was, however, not the case because the pope is after all, human. Often times, popes and cardinals lived as kings rather than spiritual leaders. Simony and nepotism were also major problems among the clergy. Indulgences that insured quick passage to heaven were also sold by church leaders. Some popes commanded armies and waged war. The corruption of the Church was well known, and several attempts at reform had been made before, but none of these efforts

The Black Death (or Black Plague) was an epidemic that ravaged Europe in the fourteenth century leading to a vast change in economy, social ranks, and the church structure. The cause of so many people dying devastated the labor production causing shortage, also resulting in the less fortunate being able to claim land and animals. The church was weakened by the black death because; many of the clergy died, therefore, many uneducated people joined the church.

When the Roman Empire collapsed, the Catholic Church was the only powerful authority not complete disrupted by the attack by barbarians. In fact, the work of great Popes is what helped their power increase even more. The newly christened barbarians, done by the Pope Gregory the Great, inaugurated a new age in Jesus Christ called Christendom. All culture in Christendom conformed to that of the Church’s, and, with its headquarters in Rome, the powerful “papal monarchs”, as they were called, controlled the machine that was the Catholic Church.

Within the Middle Ages, the church became the most influential and important force for the European society. As the central governments of Europe grew weak, the church rose in strength. In result came an ever lasting battle between the two. Popes were in control of spiritual matters, and the emperor or king were in charge of political affairs. During the Middle Ages, the line in between spiritual and political was clearly not bold enough.

Roles of the Catholic Church in Western civilization has been scrambled with the times past and development of Western society. Regardless of the fact that the West is no longer entirely Catholic, the Catholic tradition is still strong in Western countries. The church has been a very important foundation of public facilities like schooling, Western art, culture and philosophy; and influential player in religion. In many ways it has wanted to have an impact on Western approaches to pros and cons in numerous areas. It has over many periods of time, spread the teachings of Jesus within the Western World and remains a foundation of continuousness connecting recent Western culture to old Western culture.-

No country is immune to crisis including fourteenth and fifteenth century Europe which was a cataclysmic time marked by a momentous amount of death and dissension. Europe faced The Black Plague, the Hundred Years’ War, the Ottoman War and finally crisis in the church with the Great Schism. Each unique crisis required their own unique response such as setting up new laws, revolting, or turning away from the church.

The Black Death quickly and uncontrollably started to travel its way through Europe and had a great impact on Europe. It’s undeniable that the Black Death created many upheavals in Europe, but it also led to a few positive

It is not surprising that after the break-away that followed the reformation movement, the Roman Catholic Church never fully recovered it preeminent position as the fulcrum of state authority in Europe.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.