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The “charitable revolution” of the Middle Ages

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Daniel Esparza - published on 10/04/22
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The High Middle Ages marked an important turning point in the ways people thought about and acted toward the needy.

The High Middle Ages, Lucie Laumonier explains, “brought an unprecedented explosion of Christian ministry to those in physical distress,” often referred to as the charitable revolution. When mendicant friars (mainly Franciscans and Dominicans, but also the Hospitallers) took on vows of poverty to imitate Christ, those who were involuntarily poor were seen differently: They provided the most fortunate with an opportunity to get involved in charitable work, perform penitential acts of almsgiving, and be (literally) hospitable.

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