Catholic Church In The Pardoner's Tale

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Recommended: Chaucer criticism of the Catholic Church

The permeation of the Catholic Church throughout “The Pardoner’s Prologue” and “The Pardoner’s Tale” serves to critique and bring light to the corrupt and immoral practices of Church officials and the Church in Chaucer’s time. Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1345, and lived in a time when the Church was hugely powerful. He grew up within the circle of the court in royal service, and was protected under the order of King Edward III. Because of Chaucer’s stature in society in the court, he was able to aptly observe and take notice of the practices of the Church and its officials, and issues that may arise with them. In the 1300s, the Catholic Church had a prominent reach— day to day life was pervaded with religion, and it was only natural …show more content…

The Pardoner surrenders his own spiritual or religious virtue for helping to cure the sins and misdeeds of others, yet he does not see it like that; the Pardoner cares more for the money and treasure he is given for his false preaching and sermons. Chaucer’s sharpest and overarching critique of the Church in “The Pardoner’s Prologue” seems to be that religion has become a business, and that the virtues and ideals of the Church will be condemned if necessary or profitable. The Pardoner, the narrator of the tale, tells his fellow pilgrims how he has made a business of the Church: “Of avarice and of swich cursednesse Is al my prechyng, for to make hem free To yeven hir pens, and namely unto me. For myn entente is nat but for to wynne, And nothyng for correccioun of synne.” (400-404.) This is one of the many times in “The Pardoner’s Prologue” where the Pardoner admits that he is only preaching to make the commonfolk generous and give money to him, and that he cares nothing at all for the correction of sin. Because of the power he wields on behalf of the Church, the Pardoner thinks himself immune to punishment and all negative consequences. This is probably true; Church officials in Chaucer’s time held such great positions of power that they were able to do whatever they so wanted, while claiming …show more content…

Chaucer’s disapproval that the Church no longer seems to function to help people is evident in “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Pardoner’s Prologue”, though it seems he believes in the idea of the Church as a whole. It is clear that Chaucer still believes in the ideals behind the Church, for he allows the Pardoner to tell a beautiful tale even though he uses it to swindle people of their money, and after the tale allows a tiny bit of goodness to shine from the Pardoner. This is Chaucer commenting that there is good in everyone, even the most wretched and corrupt of people, a very Catholic idea. In the end, Chaucer seems to be saying there is something inherently virtuous in all of us, no matter how skewed from our morality we may

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