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Church As De Facto Public-Health Authority
- The medieval Church acted as the default public-health authority despite limited medical knowledge.
- That responsibility exposed clergy and strained the Church's ability to serve, accelerating institutional decline.
Clergy Suffered Disproportionately
- John Kelly reports 42–45% of European clergy died in the Black Death while about 30% of the general population died.
- The loss of so many priests left communities without last rites and eroded trust in Church authority.
Rituals That Multiplied Infection
- Flagellant processions amplified contagion by concentrating unwashed, self-injured crowds who interacted widely.
- Their rituals (blood, shared contact) became efficient mechanisms for plague spread despite spiritual intent.