How did the church gain power in the middle ages?

the high Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church became organized into an elaborate hierarchy with the pope as the head in western Europe. He establish supreme power. Many innovations took place in the creative arts during the high Middle Ages. Literacy was no longer merely requirement among the clergy.

Explanation:

The church become powerful during the medieval period as a result of the growing importance, after the decline in roman authority. The church used this opportunity to unify the western European forces. During the Middle Ages, the Pope anointed the Emperors, missionaries carried Christianity to the Germanic tribes, and the Church served the social, political, and religious needs of the people. Also the people want to have a direct experience with God whether through private, or mystical illumination which as a result brings about growing sense of religion and the need to be with Christ and his followers (The Church served to give people spiritual guidance and spiritual governance as well).

which statement explains one of the reasons world war 1 was so much more destructive than earlier conflicts