History and Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

Christianity Advances into Western Europe Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and, after years of persecution, it became the official religion of the empire. 312 AD Edict of Milan declares Christianity to be an approved religion by the emperor. A church hierarchy is established and Rome is made the official center of the Christian church. Constantine also created a Christian Council

Christianity Advances into Western Europe The Christian Council decided answers to theological questions concerning the Christian faith (i.e.: What do we believe concerning the human/divine nature of Christ Jesus and the explanation of the Trinity?) Once answers to these questions were decided, heretics were removed (imprisonment, excommunication, banishment, etc) thus resulting in a stronger and more organized Roman Catholic Church. The church provided Christians with a sense of security and a religious community to which they could belong.

Events That Grew The Church Clovis, King of the Franks (France) converts to Christianity around 500 AD. When a king converts, all the people in the kingdom must convert to that religion. Charles Martel (The Hammer) stopped the advancing Muslim army at the Battle of Tours in 732. This victory was credited to Christ’s blessing on the Frankish kings. Pepin the Short. Pepin was the “Mayor of the Palace” [a very powerful position] of the Franks (not the king). He requested and received the Pope’s support to remove the king and assume power. Pepin continues the growth of the Franks into the Italian Peninsula, giving some of the conquered territory to the Pope. This is known as the Donation of Pepin and creates the Papal States, a kingdom ruled by the papacy. And remember: Land equals wealth and power!

Charlemange Pepin’s son, Charles the Great (or Charlemagne) continues to expand the Frankish empire into Germany, Spain, and Italy. After conquering most of Western Europe “With the Sword and the Cross” Charlemagne went to Rome to pray and on Christmas Day, 800 AD the Pope crowned him “King of the Romans” As the person who bestows the title, the pope claims the power to give that authority! This increases the pope’s political power! The Pope’s blessing (or approval) becomes a de facto must for all Christian Kings.

Charlemagne’s Empire

Charlemange’s Reforms Charlemagne reforms the church by insisting that all priests in the kingdom be able to read and write, thus increasing their importance and value to the manors they serve. Pope reserved the right to appoint church officials throughout Western Europe, even if they were thousands of miles away and did not know the person they were appointing. Many kings sought for lay investiture, which is the king bestowing a religious office (appointing a bishop) instead of the pope.

Political Power of the Pope The two great weapons of the pope were excommunication and the interdict. If a king took too much land or invaded an ally of the church, the pope could excommunicate the king [remove him from the church, therefore, condemning him to hell] or place an interdict on the whole region, denying all of the people the right to attend church services, the sacraments such as confession, last rites, and refusal to perform marriage ceremonies. This interdict would remain in place until the king and the pope came to terms. The Popes often crowned the kings, thus establishing a precedent of “church gives the authority for one to be king”.

Church Functions Like Government 1) An additional issue that caused conflict between the church and king was the use of church courts to put on trial anyone the church felt was in their jurisdiction and had violated canon law (thus usurping the king’s authority.) People would sometimes flee from the king in one region so they could be tried by the church in another region. Henry II of England appointed his best friend, Thomas Beckett, to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, only to have such a conflict over this issue (separation of the church and the state) that Beckett was assassinated in his cathedral while conducting a service. Henry, to escape excommunication, had monks publicly flog him with whips as his penance. 2) The church was a major land owner, controlling vast estate and territory. With land comes wealth and power. At its height it is estimated that the Roman Catholic Church owned up to ¼ of the land in Europe! The church also collected taxes in the form of tithes or 1/10th of yearly income from every Christian family.

Role of the Regular Clergy The regular clergy (monks shut away in monasteries) lived simple lives of prayer and labor for the monastery in which they resided. The Monks also were the keepers of knowledge, storing, translating, and copying the Bible and other books and writings of the Roman world. However, books that they felt did not support Christian Doctrine were discarded.

Role of the Priest A priest was the second most important person [behind the lord] on the manor. The priest was responsible for administering the seven sacraments of the, recording the needed records of serfs [birth, baptism, death], and provided for their religious needs.

Church as a Unifying Force There was a shared and unifying set of spiritual beliefs and rituals. At the local level, the church was the religious and social center. People met there for service, social gatherings and festive celebrations.