A: The pope is considered infallible according to Roman Catholic Christians.
2. How did the Black Death and Western Schism (or Great Schism) weaken the Roman Catholic Church?
A: The Black Death’s widespread diffusion during the 1300s and the deaths that resulted caused many Europeans to question the role of religion in their lives. The Roman Catholic Church itself also went through divisions within its hierarchy, as demonstrated by the Western Schism during the early 1300s. At one point, this resulted in three people claiming to be the pope. Reformers to the Church followed shortly after. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, John Huss, Martin Luther, John Calvin,