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<blockquote data-quote="Clavis" data-source="post: 4487667" data-attributes="member: 31898">Except that it isn't. There is a total disconnect between the way modern Westerners view clergy and the way the actual medieval Catholic Church functioned. The upper levels of the clergy were almost always of noble blood, which mean they often had feudal, military obligations. Part of the reason the Church tried to impose celibacy on the clergy in the Middle Ages, for instance, was to prevent church land from being combined into other feudal territories and passing out of the Church's hands as part of inheritances.&nbsp; In addition, the Popes were the literal Kings of central Italy, and commanded military forces.And let's not forget the medival legend of the martial prowess of Archbishop Turpin, or Saint Joan of Arc, who went into battle wearing a full suit of specially made armor.It's actually been Catholic dogma for a very long time that a priest's actions outside of the mass do not affect his ability to perform the transubstantiation of the wine and bread during the mass. The mass is supposed to work by the grace of God, not on account of the spiritual state of the operator. No matter how sinful a priest is, a Eucharist administered by him is valid. Therefore, a priest could conduct war during the week, and still fulfill his duties on Sunday, and medieval people would not have thought there was anything wrong with it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Clavis, post: 4487667, member: 31898"] Except that it isn't. There is a total disconnect between the way modern Westerners view clergy and the way the actual medieval Catholic Church functioned. The upper levels of the clergy were almost always of noble blood, which mean they often had feudal, military obligations. Part of the reason the Church tried to impose celibacy on the clergy in the Middle Ages, for instance, was to prevent church land from being combined into other feudal territories and passing out of the Church's hands as part of inheritances. In addition, the Popes were the literal Kings of central Italy, and commanded military forces. And let's not forget the medival legend of the martial prowess of Archbishop Turpin, or Saint Joan of Arc, who went into battle wearing a full suit of specially made armor. It's actually been Catholic dogma for a very long time that a priest's actions outside of the mass do not affect his ability to perform the transubstantiation of the wine and bread during the mass. The mass is supposed to work by the grace of God, not on account of the spiritual state of the operator. No matter how sinful a priest is, a Eucharist administered by him is valid. Therefore, a priest could conduct war during the week, and still fulfill his duties on Sunday, and medieval people would not have thought there was anything wrong with it. [/QUOTE]

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