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Everyone in medieval times was expected to go to church, and to confess their sins to a priest. If a person was considered to have committed a really serious sin, they could be excommunicated, that is denied the right to attend church or take communion. People were expected to pay a tenth of their income (a tithe) to the church. Heretical sects (those which did not support Catholic doctrine) would be suppressed. This question seems designed to paint a negative picture of the church.
People did forever receive benefits from the church. Monasteries had infirmaries where they took care of the old and the sick, and they distributed alms to the poor. They also gave hospitality to poor travelers. Monastic schools educated children, about one boy in ten in peasant families became a priest. Churches and cathedral’s were often very beautiful, those that survive are still the glory of Europe. Their stone carvings, paintings, and stained glass windows, were designed to glorify God and to lift the spirits.
Which they still do, in my opinion. In the early medieval period, most books were produced in monasteries, some are works of art, like the Elementariness Gospels, for example. Monks and nuns were often notable scholars, like Hildebrand of Binge and Roger Bacon for example. The year revolved around the holidays of the church, which gave people a chance to celebrate. Christmas, the most important church festival, lasted for thirteen days, from Christmas Day through to Epiphany (6th January).
Other important festivals ere Candles (sit February), Easter, Whitish, SST John’s Eve (Muleteer), Llamas (1st August), and Michaels (end of September). One important holiday, Wakes Day, was the festival of the local parish saint, and varied from place to place. These holidays were occasions for feasting, dancing , games and sports. Source(s): Life in a Medieval City by Frances and Joseph gees Life in a Medieval Village by Frances and Joseph Gees Medieval Lives by Terry Jones Middle ages and church By apparatchiks