““The Church demands of its priests exclusive dedication, a 24/7 routine that protects the peace of their souls from conjugal strife and babies’ shrieks. Perhaps, who knows, the Church also wished to preserve its earthly goods, and thus placed them safely beyond the reach of women’s and children’s claims to inheritance. A trifling detail, but nevertheless it is worth recalling that at the beginning of the twelfth century the Church owned one-third of all the lands of Europe.””
![“[T]hese losses of the Church in the past hundred years give us reason to fear in the present misfortune that in another hundred years we may lose the Church entirely in Europe. So, keeping this fear in mind, blessed are those who cooperate in extending the Church elsewhere.” quote by Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0bd/vincent-de-paul-1676_blessed_t-hese-losses-of-the-church-in-the-past_2035339.jpg)
![“The Church [in the 14th century] gave ceremony and dignity to lives that had little of either. It was the source of beauty and art to which all had some access and which many helped to create.” quote by Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/964/barbara-tuchman-3945_access_the-church-in-the-14th-century-gave-cere_1998896.jpg)
