# Did the Catholic Church ever own serfs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 9, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781 "2011-02-09T18:01:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781/21 "2011-02-10T16:40:56Z")

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> [@brocks](#):
>
> As someone has already noted, the question would less likely stray into the weeds if you had said slaves, instead of serfs.
> 
> And the Bible condones slavery, so why not?

I said “serfs” because I saw no reason to think the Church might have owned slaves during the Roman Empire, but its status as a medieval landlord raises the possibility of serfs.

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**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781/22 "2011-02-11T05:08:10Z")

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> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> In France, this was called the “dîme”, bastard Latin for “one tenth”

Which also gives us the name of our ten-cent piece.

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**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781/23 "2011-02-11T05:11:00Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> Whomever owns the factory owns the workers? No.

No, _who_ever owns the factory owns the workers. Except not, as you say.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-catholic-church-ever-own-serfs/570781/24 "2011-02-11T15:07:52Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> Whomever owns the factory owns the workers? No.

If there were such things as factory-serfs bound legally for life to that factory, then whoever owns the factory owns the workers.

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