Answer:
The statement is true because:
- In medieval Europe the Pope at Rome was the supreme religious authority and even kings accepted his authority.
- Every stage of a person’s life, from baptism at birth to marriage and burial, required rituals performed by the priests.
- The Church collected a tax called tithe and owned vast land; it also sold ‘letters of indulgence’ promising forgiveness of sins.
- Education was controlled by the Church and the Bible was in Latin, so common people depended on the priests for its meaning.
- Anyone who questioned the Church’s teachings was declared a heretic and punished (for example Bruno was burnt and Galileo was tried).
Thus the Church controlled the thoughts and the daily life of the people, until the Renaissance and the Reformation encouraged free thinking.
