Anti-clerical criticisms of the Church and monasteries

Anti-clerical criticisms of the Church and monasteries

1. few dared to criticise the practice and rituals of the Church openly in fear of the consequences

2. Pluralism

   • a priest held the rights to more than one parish. Took money from both and employ sometimes only partially educated cleric as deputy
   • These uneducated people didn't live up to the ideals of the Church, and expectations of the people
     • Wages could have been less than those of agricultural labourers

3. Simony

   • sale of an ecclesiastical title.
   • Occurred most frequently when a priest enjoying the income of a rich parish sold the position to whoever was willing to pay the most

4. Mortuary fees

   • when a person died, his/her family would have to pay a fee in money or goods to the priest. One of the main disputes of the Richard Hunne case

5. Indulgences and 'holy relics'

   • priests sold these 'pardons' to trusting people who believed their time in purgatory would be shortened
   • relics could bring good fortune and protection

6. Behaviour of the clergy

   • priests and monks were expected to live to their vows of chastity and to be obedient to laws of the Church but not all were able to
   • Gossip suggested that a number of priests had affairs and some had children. It's hard to know how widespread this was and how much was actually true

7. Benefit of the clergy

   • if a priest was suspected of committing offences he could be claim and be tried in a Church court. Could escape death penalty if found guilty.
   • Benefits were criticised as those brought in to undertake the work of absent priests could also access the Church courts
   • Laymen who read Latin could also claim

8. Tithes

   • each adult living in a parish ad to pay 1/10 of goods they produced
     • this was paid to the clergy but sometimes the Church had sold the right to collect tithes to a member of the laity
   • Where parishioners refused or were unable to pay tithes, they were taken to Church courts
   • Disputes over payments were common, but on the whole, the system worked