How was the Roman Catholic church organized during the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

The Christian Church, effectively the Church of Rome (though other churches existed), was the most powerful organization in Europe, prior to the Great Schism of 1054. After that, the Roman Catholic Church took that power in the West, and the Eastern Orthodox took it in the East.

The Church, in any case, was regarded by most people as the only route to salvation. Most people were probably very much in fear of damnation in Hell for all eternity. The Church provided guidance, discipline, and, to a large measure, support. The church started children off on the road to salvation by baptizing them, and it provided marriages and funerals, and anointed the sick, along with other sacrament's.

The Church had organizations to help the poor, protect travellers, especially pilgrims, and even intercede in disputes. A person who needed to hide, whether a battered spouse or a queen on the run for political reasons, or even sometimes a fugitive criminal, could often do so in a monastery or convent.

The Church had penalties it could use to influence even the most powerful kings and emperors. If the Church excommunicated a king, it often meant that the people who had sworn oaths of allegiance to him were freed of those oaths, and other kings were given licence to invade that king's country. Very few kings were interested in trying out what it was like to be excommunicated.

Answer 2

The Roman Catholic Church held the highest authority when it came to the people and their fear of eternal damnation. They held moral authority that they used to wage wars such as the Crusades, used excommunications as threats, and forced peace treaties.

Answer 3

I think a lot of people, particularly those who lived in the Middle Ages, would say the most important powers of the Church center on the sacraments, such as baptism, unction, confession and absolution, and so on. If the Church could save a person's immortal soul, then it was surely more powerful than any government.

In secular life, the most important power the Church had was probably its moral authority. It was on the basis of moral authority that the crusades were launched.

From a political point of view, one important power of the Church was benefit of clergy, which was a bone of contention between the Church and governments for much of the Middle Ages. In effect, it meant that people with the benefit were exempt from civil prosecution, and would be tried by the Church. The benefit was originally for ordained clerics, but in time was extended to all clerics, regardless of whether they had been ordained, then to all students, and finally to anyone who could read.

But the most important political power the Church had was the power to excommunicate. For a common person, excommunication was of little practical consequence, but a king who was excommunicated could find that all oaths taken to support him and all treaties with him had been excused, so his enemies had legal right to rebel, invade, or otherwise do him harm. The damage this could do to a monarch was impressive.

Answer 4

during the Middle Ages the catholic church wielded a lot of power of the Christian nations of Europe (known as Christendom). The church often passed laws that applied to all the countries of Christendom however some nations including the ironically named Holy Roman Empire was actually at war with the papacy at one point.
As the Medieval people's lives mostly revolved around religion, the Church's role in the middle ages was a large one. However, with the constant fighting between Crown and Papacy due to King's believing they had both political and spiritual control, the influence the church had fluctuated throughout the middle ages.

More

In Western Europe, the Church was rather like a separate state in the Middle Ages. It could, and sometimes did, strongly influence politics and culture, in addition to providing spiritual support. Here are a few examples:

• Intervention against slavery and the mistreatment of serfs, from time to time. Slavery did not exist in most places by the end of the Middle Ages.
• The call and support for a number of crusades, both in the Middle East and in various parts of Europe, such as Spain, France, and Lithuania
• Provision of a system of ecclesiastical courts, to which many common people could appeal
• Provision of hospitals and care for the sick
• Provision of sanctuary for refugees, including all manner of people from abused wives and runaway serfs to criminals avoiding prosecution.

It was rather a mixed bag, but sometimes included some rather powerful restraints on kings and emperors.

Answer 5

The Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages would look similar to the organization of the Roman Catholic Church now - the Pope is the leader who oversees a strict hierarchy of Cardinals, Bishops and other ordained clergymen.

Answer 6

Oh, yes quite a bit. Kings were excommunicated if they did something wrong by the church. Many people considered the Pope more important than the king and the Pope did have more power than the King. Most courts had a Cardinal and he was usually the King's right hand man.

Answer 7

the church provided the sense of stability unity and order
I think that it replaced previous institutions of education, culture and religion (not that education or culture is non-Catholic). In many ways the Catholic church helped preserve literacy and the arts. The Roman Catholic religion was the main source of faith and values for Western Europe.

Answer 8

it was organized in the following way from lowest power to highest:

1. Priests
2. Bishops
3. Archbishops
4. Cardinals
5. Pope

Answer 9

The Catholic church ran the society and the government. It told kings what to do and told all that they were the only way to heaven because man was born in sin.