What was the authority of the Church during the Middle Ages? How did it have different roles in European society?

The medieval times, the church was much more influential. People could not read the Bible, so the word of god was what you were told. Because of this, religion played a much more personal role in the life of a peasant.

During the high Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church became organized into an elaborate hierarchy with the pope as the head in western Europe. He establish supreme power. Many innovations took place in the creative arts during the high Middle Ages. Literacy was no longer merely requirement among the clergy.