The majority of Catholic officials did not follow the guidelines that had been set for them in the Bible. They were truly above the law. In fact, the Church was in complete control. Because people believed that salvation was dependent on the Church's acceptance of them, they did very little that could be considered threatening by religious officials.
As Catholicism spread across Europe, the need for priests and brothers became very high. As a result of this, areas known as parishes, diocese, and archdiocese were created. The priest in charge of a parish was the ruler of that area. Seldom did anyone's power surpass his. He was usually the only literate member of his community, and he usually was the only teacher. The priest was the key to God and eternal life. Without him, one could not read or listen to Bible readings, receive the Eucharist, have confession heard, or be baptized. The priest had to be revered because if he was not, he could supposedly ruin your chances of going to Heaven. .
Moral judgement was left in the hands of the church leadership. The punishment that was dealt out for offenses usually depended on the person's financial commitment to the church rather than his or her spiritual commitment to God. Church officials also used their power to judge as a way to limit the power of nobles. If the consensus was that the lord of one area was becoming more powerful than the catholic authority, he could be fined, forced to repent and humiliated, or excommunicated. Most of the people in control of the Church did not care what they had to do in order to stay in control. .
Strong examples of the amoral actions of the Catholic Church are the Crusades. For the most part, these were wars declared by the Church to solve domestic problems and to control the Holy Land. The church officials called for a struggle against the infidels who threatened the region in which Christianity was started.
