Fr Daniel Donovan has been investigating the history of the Church at the time of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and finds some parallels to the crisis the institution is facing today. In this two-part commentary he also draws on the insights of Phyllis Tickle the acclaimed American religious writer who argues that Christianity has a giant rummage sale every 500 years and we're in one of those periods now.

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The Church in Canterbury Tales: Metaphor for Today

Toward the end of the fourteenth century, English society was simply in hiatus. Centuries of scandal within the Church and warfare among nations had undermined the people's trust in the institutions and authority. Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400) in Canterbury Tales (Tales) presents "the ethical questions... fallible human beings living in an unstable world and those raised by the frightening breakdown of hierarchy and stability in late fourteenth-century England"[1] Chaucer's Tales witness to a crisis of world views of "stable God-given feudal hierarchy" and "the pressures of social mobility" inevitably undermining institutional authority marooned in an ocean of new questions completely at odds with their sacralised world. Canerbury Tales is not only a significant contribution to English literature but a valuable "déjà vu window" on the Church in the new millennium. Church leadership in fourteenth century, failed to evaluate the impact of societal pressures on the Church and this same "head in the sand approach" characterises Church leadership today.

The Late Fourteenth Century: Historical Watershed...

"The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why" by Phyllis Tickle is available in hardcover and kindle editions in the Catholica Spiritual Marketplace. Paperback edition will be released in September 2012.

By 1381 the religious and political turmoil which had been fermenting in Europe from the eleventh century contributed to the emergence of new societal structures following "the democratic collapse and the continuing rise of the importance of money and professional function" and the rise of a new middle class of lawyers, bankers and teachers. The new middle class would be the death knell for feudalism in society but the feudalistic structure would endure to the present day in the Church. Phyllis Tickle refers to "a five hundred year cycle in western history"[2] in which a period of upheaval followed by a period of settling down, then codification which results in another period of upheaval because "we do not like to be codified". Tickle argues therefore that every five hundred years the Church has a "giant rummage sale and we're in one of those periods now." So what did Chaucer criticise in the late Cathedral–Word Christianity in Tales relevant to River Christianity in the new millennium? The answer to this question is to be found in "the ethical questions" which Chaucer explores through the stories and characters of his pilgrims.[3] Luke's Gospel especially, in the handling of the second temptation of Jesus [Lk 4:6][4] raises the ethical conflict between political power (exousia) and Gospel values.

"Giant Rummage Sale": The Church is Always in Need of Reform...

Tickle's metaphor of a "giant rummage sale" expresses the long held Church maxim that the Church is always in need of reform.[5] The real tragedy is when this constant reformation of the Church is neglected or denied by Church authorities and disaffected movements to reverse Vatican II and its recognition that the Church is an "imperfect community" in need of constant reformation, so that it might be an agent of the Kingdom [EN# 15].[6] Church authorities are usually hesitant in undertaking serious reform because the status quo is inextricably interlaced with their own power and privilege, as at the end of the fourteenth century and so too in the present day. Chaucer's Church was in need of reform because it had been encrusted with five hundred years of ecclesiastical corruption and social unrest. A brief resume of the major historical and human events is presented below.

The Eleventh Century was marred by the East-West Schism which divided the Christian Church with doctrinal disputes and excommunications in 1054. While in 1066, England was invaded by the Normans with the blessing of the Church and the ensuring rule involved many new laws and regulations "imposed with an iron fist". The Church continued to be involved in theological disputes, local wars, and the developing threat from the spread of Islam in the Holy Land. Pope Urban II therefore authorised the First Crusade [1095-1099] with its Knights and chivalry.[7] Nine Crusades dominated the ecclesiastical and social landscape in Europe from 1095-1272 and were a moral and financial drain across the board. Pope Gregory VII justified violence and struggle to free the Holy Land especially as many Christian were persecuted during their pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

At the height of the Age of Chivalry in the years between the Fourth [1202-1204] and Fifth Crusades [1217-1221] there was an effort to reform the Church and to deliver it from the corruption which had become ingrained in its structures. St Francis of Assisi [1209] founded the Friars Minor, he understood himself as a chivalrous Knight enamoured of Lady Poverty in order to reform the Church which had strayed from the spirit of the Gospel and Beatitudes [Mt 5:3-11].[8] During this period Pope Innocent III [d.1216] presided over Lateran IV which essentially provided much of the theological and sacramental agenda for subsequent Church Councils. Innocent also interfered in the English political scene going so far as to annul the Magna Carta [1215][9] in return for King John's submitting to the pope's "universal authority". The pope's action further complicated the relationship between the King and the English barons who rejected the papal intervention and hardened their rebellion against John's oppressive government.

At the end of the Thirteenth Century when Europe was still smarting from the Crusades, a weakened Church was plunged into the political turmoil of the Hundred Years War [1337-1453] between the Royal House of France and the English monarchy over the right of accession to the French throne. When Charles IV of France died [1328] without a male heir, the House of Valois seized the throne thereby ending the reign of the House of Capet. Edward III of England [1327] was Charles' nephew and thus ensured a prolonged struggle to capture the French throne. Apart from the conflicts between France and England, there were political clashes within English society as evidenced in the Peasant's Revolt [1381] in which King Richard II was deposed. Chaucer personally, experienced the political upheavals of the day with many friends executed, he was forced to move from London to Kent to avoid the unrest and conflict.

Around 1378, the Church had two popes both claiming to be the legitimate successor of Peter. This Western Schism[10] would continue until 1417 and weakened the papacy and Church authority. Helen Cooper is correct when she highlights that Tales "documents the gap between personal piety and institutional corruption."[11] Chaucer presents this conflict in the persons of the Monk and the Prioress both "fall far short of the ideal for their orders"[12] but in Chaucer's estimation less corrupt than the two Church officials, the Summoner and the Pardoner. A Church completely at odds with itself and devoid of authority exudes from the pages of Tales and a hierarchy out of touch with ordinary people.

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Fr Daniel Donovan, submitted to Catholica 23 Mar 2012

FOOTNOTES:
[1] Helen Cooper, [1996], Oxford Guide to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Second Edition New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, p.6 Tales is a collection of stories built around a frame narrative or frame tale of the pilgrimage. Chaucer immortalises the stories of thirty motley pilgrims as they journey from Southwark (London) to the shrine of St Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Pilgrimages (World Youth Day for example) have been restored in the Church at the end of the twentieth century and obliquely point to a Church in hiatus, as in the fourteenth century. Cooper states that Chaucer's Tales; "marks the moment when it was still possible to believe in the principle of a stable unified Church, however imperfect in practice...even while it documents the gap between personal piety and institutional corruption. It is poised on the divide between a world conceived in terms of a stable and God-given feudal hierarchy, and a society disrupted and energised by the pressures of social mobility at every level from the peasantry to the crown, by a democratic collapse following the Black Death, and by the continuing rise of the importance of money and professional function rather than land or rank in social machinery."
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[2] Phyllis Tickle, [2008], The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Also, "The Future of the Emerging Church," March 19 2007, Christianity Today, http://www.outofur.com/archives/2007/03/the_future_of_t.html Tickle demonstrates that from the last great upheaval in western Christianity (the Reformation) to the end of the twentieth century was a five hundred year period and was following the cycle of periods of upheaval followed by settling down then codification. The Catholic Church has in the last five hundred years experienced the upheaval (Reformation-Counter-Reformation) and the settling down (Renewal movements: Liturgical, Scriptural, Catechetical etc from the late nineteenth century, climaxed at Vatican II) followed by the codification period of the last forty years. However the codification period was short circuited by the conservative agenda of John Paul II and his fear of his predecessor's (Paul VI) apparent toleration of "new" theologies and popular struggles for liberation especially, in Latin America. See Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, (1997), His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, pp. 237-238. As noted above Gregory VII [1073-1085] justified the use of violence and struggle by Christians in their efforts to free the Holy Land. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/christianity_and_violence & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_VII

See also, Diana Butler Bass, [2009], A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins Publishers. Butler Bass has actually, structured her book according to five periods: 100-500 The Way (Early Christianity) ; 500-1450 The Cathedral (Medieval Christianity); 1450-1650 The Word (Reformation Christianity); 1650-1945 The Quest (Modern Christianity); 1945—The River (Contemporary Christianity).
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[3] Helen Cooper, Op. Cit., p. 6. Cooper identifies two questions "timeless ones"..."fallible human beings living in an unstable world and those raised by the frightening breakdown of hierarchy and stability in late fourteenth century England."
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[4] The word used here for "power" in Greek is "exousia" which is "political power" and directly, opposed to Jesus' ministry of service and God's kenotic self emptying through creation and the cross of Jesus [Phil 2: 7-9]. Jesus rejects Satan's offer of "power and wealth" stressing that "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him alone" v8. Luke notes in Lk 4: 13, that following the temptations, the devil departed from Jesus "to return another time." Jesus' passion will be "the hour" [Lk 22:14] when Satan will return and engage Jesus in that great temptation of the passion [Lk 22:14] and in Jesus' victory so his disciples will triumph [Lk 22:14-27]. Jesus' disciples are to follow Jesus "the one who serves." Chaucer makes a similar point of equality when he has the Miller (a commoner) interrupt the story of the Knight (the high society). The cult of power is directly opposed to Jesus' servant-at-table leadership and ethical model.
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[5] "Ecclesia semper reformanda est" which has always been a basic tenet of Catholic theology and of course it reflects that mystery of Church which Pope Paul VI expressed when he defined Church as "a human reality imbued with the presence of God." Vatican II described the Church as the "sacrament of God's presence in the world" as the light of the nations. However over time the human element became institutionalised impeding the Church's capacity to evangelise among the nations [Mt 28:20]. For this reason or so that the Church might be a means rather than an end in itself or might be a true sacrament of the Kingdom (and not the Kingdom itself) the Church will always (semper) be in need of reform. Church authorities conveniently forget this maxim because those human customs over time become fused with and identified with the Tradition [Mk 7:9-14].
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[6] Paul VI [1976], Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, (EN), Homebush, NSW: Society of St Paul, EN# 15. This is a most important paragraph because it stresses the "reciprocal links" between the Church and evangelisation and clearly states that the Church's evangelisation "begins by being evangelised itself,"—"People of God immersed in the world, and often tempted by idols, and she always needs to hear the proclamation of the 'mighty works of God'; which converted her to the Lord; she always needs to be called together afresh by him and reunited." This passage supports the constant need for the Church to be reformed and delineates those elements which can be reformed and the enduring truths of salvation [Acts 2:11; 1 Pt 2:9].
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[7] "Chivalry" and "Knights" were on the decline by Chaucer's Tales [1381] after the Ninth Crusade [1271-1272]. In Chaucer's day the Knight and his Squire "were steeped in a culture of chivalry and courtliness." Knights were trained to be leaders of the men with whom they fought but also to bond with a woman "whom they idolised 'to strengthen their fighting ability'." See "The Knight's Tale" which details the deadly violence which results when chivalry and bonding degenerate into violence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales p.7.
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[8] Following Francis' lead Dominic founded the Order of Preachers in 1216 dedicated to preaching the Gospel and the conversion of heretics. The Carmelites were founded in 1226 and the Augustinians in 1244. These new Orders known as "friars" were recognised at the Second Council of Lyons 1274. So Chaucer has a Friar and a Monk among his pilgrims. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Religious Orders "controlled huge tracts of land on which they made considerable sums of money, while peasants worked in their employ." Lillian Bisson, [1999], Chaucer and the Late Medieval World, New York, N.Y.: St Martin's Press , Scholarly and Reference Division, pp. 73-75,81. The Orders of Friars actually, were about reforming the Church and restoring its commitment to Gospel values. It is surprising that Bishop Anthony Fisher published, http://www.dominicansinteractive.com/reflections/26-dominican/26-bishop-anthony-fisher-op-on-the-dominican-priesthood June 25 2010, Dominican Priesthood referring to the beginnings of the Friars compares them to the "Opies and Neo-Cats" (Opus Dei and Neo-catechumens) Movements in the Church today. His exact parallel between the Friars and the Movements is rather obtuse historically the Friars embraced poverty while the Movements promote power and opulence. Speaking again at St Nicholas of Myra Parish in Penrith on June 28 2011, the Bishop invited Opus Dei to "make Western Sydney your mission field" and (borrowing from the "new evangelisation" jargon popularised by John Paul II), invited them; "Put out into the deep" [Duc in altum Lk 5:4]. With such a lack of empathy on the part of the Bishop for the people of Western Sydney, it is little wonder that Catholics are swelling the congregation of HillSong. See, http://www.parra.catholic.org.au/news---events/latest-news/latest-news.aspx/-make-western-sydney-your-mission-field--.aspx... As always the Church fails to learn from history the "putting out into the deep" as Chaucer's Tales demonstrates will always be unsuccessful so long as it lacks empathy with the life experience of the people and their faith journey. The work of the Kingdom is always "from below" rather than "from above" or as John writes in his Gospel; "the Word became flesh and he pitch his tent amongst us and we saw his glory" [Jn 1:14; Exodus 24-30].
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[9] Since the rule of William the Conqueror [c.1928- 1087], there had been rebellions by the English barons against the Crown. There was a growing desire among the people to assert their right and dignity against oppressive and prevaricating rulers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta
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[10] The election of Urban VI was declared by the French Cardinals to be invalid because they were under duress from an Italian mob outside the conclave chanting "Elect, an Italian or die." The French Cardinals elected Clement VII [1378-1394] at Avignon. In the Roman line Urban VI was followed by Boniface IX [1389-1404], Innocent VII [1404-1406] and Gregory XII [1406-1415] as the legitimate successors of Peter. The Avignon line seemed more healthy with Clement VII [1378-1394] followed by Benedict XIII [1394-1417]. However in 1409, there was a Council at Pisa to resolve the impasse but far from solving the matter it elected another Pope, Alexander V [1409-1410] followed by John XXIII [1410-1415] who was an unsavoury character but after convening the Council at Constance [1414-1418], John fled the Council and sought the protection of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany. See, "Papal Encyclicals Online," Introduction and translation taken from Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, ed. Norman P.Tanner.

The Council elected Martin V [1417] pope and resolved the schism which had plagued the Catholic Church for almost forty years [1378-1417]. The appointment of Martin marked the rise of the Renaissance Papacy [1417-1534] with some fourteen popes who were patrons of the "new learning" and secular humanism of the time. See http://christianchronicler.com/history1/renaissance_papacy.html

Pope Clement VII listed above in the Avignon line is considered an anti-pope. Pope Clement VII [1523- 1534] was the illegitimate son of Guliano de'Medici assassinated at Easter [1478] with the blessing of Pope Sixtus IV [1471-1484].

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[11] Cooper, Op. Cit., p. 6.
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[12] Bisson, Op. Cit., pp. 91-95. For Bisson both the Monk and the Prioress reflect "lives of luxury" in their dress, flirtatious manner and lack of spiritual depth. On the other hand, the Second Nun is a model of religious life and her story reflects her commitment to the Church as she tells of a woman whose "chaste life example" brings people back to Church. This lifestyle contrasts with that of the Church leaders whose behaviour was driving people out of the Church. Chaucer makes a comment on the feudalistic structure when he has the Miller interrupt the Knight's tale thereby indicating to the reader the equality of the two men despite their social status.

Corruption was personified in the "Summoner" and "Pardoner." The "Summoner is a Church officer who brought sinners to the church court for possible excommunication and other penalties." False citations would provide lucrative incomes with bribes from frightened defendants. The "Pardoner" was the agent from whom persons purchased "indulgences" for forgiveness of sins but there were ample opportunities for a pardoner to act corruptly. In Tales the pardoner admits to corrupt practices in "hawking his wares." See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales p.6.

[Index of Commentaries by Dan Donovan]