The Church Faces Problems. Chapter 11 Lesson 4

Islam Christianity and Islam have clashed throughout history – Crusades. They still clash today. Catholicism is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ. Islam is founded upon the teachings of a man named Muhammed. It rejects the divinity of Christ (heresy). They believe in God whom they call Allah. Their moral system and teachings are different from those of Catholicism.

The Great Schism of 1054 The Church of the East and the Church of the West were divided by the controlling of the Mediterranean Sea by the Moslems. They were already separated by language and culture. The Eastern Church looked for leadership from its bishops and no longer submitted to Rome or the Pope. This was a tremendous loss for the Church. Why? The Eastern Church had a highly developed sense of mysticism and theology and had many great saints. Why was it bad for the Church to be separated? Their communication broke down.

Problems Corruption of the Clergy It was a great scandal. Many church leaders became corrupted by power, money, and earthly attachments. What was God’s solution? He called up great saints to purify the Church and to strengthen her against these problems. Remember, even though the Church leaders were corrupt, they never taught error, as the Church was protected by the Holy Spirit and the Pope’s infallibility.

The Church Faces Problems 1. What is Islam? Islam is a religion that emerged in Arabia early in the seventh century. Followers of Islam are called Moslems.

2. How did Moslems separate the East from the West and how did this contribute to the schism in 1054? Moslems gained control of the Mediterranean Sea. This separated Christians in the East from those in the West and amplified already existing disagreements between the two on the authority of the Pope and specific wording of certain doctrines. This eventually led to the separation of the Church in the East from the Pope.

3. Explain the difficulties that faced the Church from within near the end of the first millennium. Toward the end of the first millennium, the Church faced a period of corruption of the clergy. As the Roman Empire collapsed, the Church was the only stable force still remaining. Since mainly the clergy were the most educated, they had to run the government. This became a source of temptation to become too concerned with temporal affairs. Many Lost sight of their primary task and led sinful lives, even many popes.

4. Did the Holy Spirit abandon the Church during those years? How can we say the Church is divine when corruption occurs in the Church? No. The Holy Spirit did not abandon the Church. We can still say the Church is divine when corruption occurs because although her human members may be corrupt, she herself will never formally teach error and the Holy Spirit still guides her.