Transcript The Medieval Church - Options

The Medieval Church
A Dominating force in the Middle
Ages
Church Vocabulary
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Pope – bishop of Rome, leader of Catholic Church
Canon law – laws of the Catholic Church
Monasticism – voluntary separation from society to dedicate one’s
life to God
Excommunication – process in which a person is kicked out of the
Catholic church; person is basically cut off from society
Interdict – ruling by Church court that closes all churches in a region
Heretic – person who believed or preached beliefs different from the
Catholic Church
Simony – buying positions in the Catholic Church
Inquisition – process of searching out heretics
Indulgence – monetary contribution that can rid you of certain sins,
decrease time in purgatory
Church Hierarchy
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Pope – has supreme
authority in the Church
Cardinal – advises pope
Archbishop – in charge of
many diocese
Bishop – in charge of a
diocese
Priest – in charge of a
parish
Monks, nuns, and abbots
– dedicated to monastic
life, not part of church
hierarchy
The Village Church
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Became important Social
center because it was the
largest building in most
villages
Main events of a person’s
life took place here:
baptism, communion,
marriage, funeral
People took pride in their
church and decorated it
with care
The tithe people paid
went to support the local
parish
Monasteries and Convents
• Where monks lived and devoted their lives to
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God, run by an abbot
Monks & nuns took 3 vows: obedience to the
head of the monastery, poverty, and chastity
They had to work in the fields and grow crops
Provided medical care and education for villagers
Gave food and lodging to travelers
Monastic Life
Papal Supremacy
• Means that the Pope has
authority over all secular
rulers (lords, kings, and
queens) as well as
religious ones
• Pope gained this control
by placing lords and
nobles in powerful church
positions
• Church created its own
court system based on
canon law
• The church was so
powerful that it could
start and end wars
Medieval Church
Corruption
Problems
• More and more tithe
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money went to Rome
instead of staying in the
local parish
Church got wealthier
and some monks and
nuns forgot about their
vow of poverty
Some priests were
allowed to marry and
began focusing on their
families rather than on
their priestly duties
Corruption
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Powerful lords were
allowed to buy Church
positions
Some priests sold
indulgences to people so
they could pay off their
sins
Other priests began
charging high fees for
performing baptisms,
marriages, and other
religious ceremonies
If the Church was so Corrupt, Why
Didn’t People Just Leave?
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The Catholic Church was a strong uniting force,
no matter where you lived you had something in
common with the vast majority of Europeans
The Church was a major part of your life – it
acted provided schooling, medical care,
important life ceremonies, and a social group
If you left the Church, you had to leave your
community AND you couldn’t interact with other
Catholics