The Canterbury Tales institutional church in England

Of the various themes in that classic work of literature, the most dominant is that of the institutional church in England. The 14th century was a time when the English church’s power began to vanish, and many reasons can be attributed to this fall. Chaucer, in his tales, gives his account of this unfortunate period for the church. With utmost respect for the church institution, Chaucer abstains from criticizing the entire church institution but instead chooses to criticize some of the church officials whose conduct, according to him, deviated from what was expected of them traditionally. One can draw three main reasons from Chaucer’s 24 stories to explain the plight the church was in at that time namely self-seeking churchmen, the black death as well as the western schism. In “The Friar’s Tale,” a story is told about the corruption of the Summoner.

The Summoners were tasked with issuing summons from the church to sinners under the penalty of excommunication, and the sinners were required to pay indulgences for their sins to the church. According to the Friar, the Summoners irregularly obtained and pocketed these funds. The Friar also accuses the Summoner of wrongly accusing people of having committed sins they had not, and as a result, coercing them to bribe him, so he does not summon them before the ecclesiastical courts (Bachir 11). Chaucer, in The Friar’s Tale, likens the Summoner to a fiend from hell. ” The Friars in the traditional church were roaming priests who had no ties to any monastery. Chaucer describes the Friars during the Middle Ages to be corrupt. According to him, they had resorted to taking bribes. The Summoner accuses the Friar of befriending young women or rich men who might need his services.

According to the Summoner, the Friar would give a sermon, and upon firing up the congregation, he would take advantage of their emotions to extort money from them. After drinking too much, he lays bare the secrets of his trade. He talks of how he takes advantage of people’s emotions to extort money from them. Unlike Summoners and the Friars, the Pardoner does not seem to be defensive of his corrupt character. He is quoted asking for money from his audience and in return promising them forgiveness saying, “Dearly beloved, God forgive your sin / And keep you from the vice of avarice! / My holy pardon frees you all of this, / Provided that you make the right approaches, / That is with sterling, rings, or silver brooches” (Chaucer and Purves 298). “The Pardoners tale,” “The Friar’s Tale” and “The Summoner’s Tale” give us an idea about Chaucer’s frustration of the church institution that was no longer operated in the best interests of the people.

The pardoner on the other hand openly admits to extorting money from unsuspecting parishioners. These are just some of the scenarios that Chaucer uses to describe the state of the institutional church during that time; rampant corruption. This is to some extent attributed to the Black Death epidemic which led to a shortage of priests. Church rules were relaxed, and bishops were permitted by the pope to ordain young, inexperienced and uneducated clerics. Works Cited Bachir, Drias. ke/books?id=KjLHAOE7irsC&pg=PA52&dq=The+black+death+epidemic+and+the+catholic+church&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV9sKaytneAhWEL1AKHYJ4D5sQ6AEIWTAI#v=onepage&q=The%20black%20death%20epidemic%20and%20the%20catholic%20church&f=true Chaucer, Geoffrey and Laing D. Purves. The Canterbury tales. Tustin: Xist Publishing, 2015. saylor.