Most people’s lives weren’t that great during the Middle Ages. Their only source of comfort was the idea that if they suffered in this life, they could have paradise in heaven after death as long as they received all their sacraments (like Baptism and Communion). They could only get these sacraments by following the rules of the Catholic Church. This made the local priest the most important person in town because he was the only one who could administer sacraments.

The Church required all followers to pay a tithe. This is a tax that is paid to the Church. Most often it was about 10% of a person’s income. Part of it stayed in the town church to help run it, part of it was sent to the pope in Rome.

The Church allowed priests to sell indulgences. An indulgence was money a person paid to have their sins forgiven. So if you were rich enough you could have any sin forgiven, but if you were poor it was not so easy. Many priests would sell indulgences and keep the money for themselves.

In some cases Church officials used the money people gave to buy fancy items for themselves and some corrupt priests and clergymen put the money directly into their own pocket instead of using it to help people.

Some followers of the Catholic Church chose to withdraw from the outside world in order to grow closer to God. Monks and nuns joined monasteries and convents. This is where groups of monks or nuns lived separated from everyone else. They spent their time praying, working, or studying. Monks were some of the only people who knew how to read and write books during this time. They became responsible for teaching a lot of people to read and write. Monasteries were a place people could get an education during the Middle Ages.

The Church began to build huge, gothic style cathedrals during the Middle Ages. Cathedrals are very large churches managed by a bishop. A bishop is a church leader who was one step higher than a priest. The Church developed new, modern technologies to help build cathedrals.

The Church often helped the poor and the sick. This made the peasants draw closer to the Church because the Church helped take care of them.

At the local level, the village church was a unifying force in the lives of most people. It served as a religious and social center. People worshiped together at the church. They also met with other villagers. The shared beliefs in the teachings of the Church bonded people together. The church was a stable force during an era of constant warfare and political turmoil. It provided people with a sense of security and of belonging to a community.

The Church controlled all aspects of a person’s life, both the secular (not religious) and religious parts. The pope was the spiritual leader & the representative of God on earth. Because of this the popes claimed papal supremacy. This means they had authority even over secular rulers, like kings and emperors. The pope’s clergy, like bishops, were usually nobles who had their own kingdom like territory and armies.

The Church had both religious and political power. It created a system of rules to guide people's conduct. Both peasants and kings had to follow these rules. Anyone who disobeyed a church law was seen as an outcast. They could face many different penalties for not following the laws of the Church. The worst of these was excommunication. Excommunication is banishment from the Church. If you are excommunicated you can never get to heaven. Popes used excommunication to have power over kings. If the king was not doing what a pope wanted, the pope would threaten to excommunicate him. He would not receive any sacraments or a Christian burial. Christians believed this meant his soul would go to hell.

If a king disobeyed the pope’s orders, the pope could threaten to use an interdict. This would mean that no religious sacraments or service could be done on the king’s land. The subjects (followers) of the king would be very angry if their king was put under an interdict because they believed if they didn’t go to church they would go to hell. The subjects may overthrow a king if he angers the pope.

The Church might accuse someone of heresy if they didn’t follow church law. Heresy means a denial of the teachings of the Catholic Church. People accused of heresy were called heretics. Those who confessed to heresy performed public penance (community service) or were flogged. Eventually the Church even used torture to get people to confess to heresy.