@LALA456 I am selecting you cuz you mentioned something I was considering to say since the previous chapter. I am not saying anything against you just wanted to continue with the topic and add more and my own opinion.
The reason why in this manhwa the church[most specifically this , let's call him a cardinal cuz can't remember the title he has lol, is greedy, a snob, and superficial cuz of his status] or one its person fell for the trap of someone else cuz the church is in danger to lose the faith of the people. That was the trap sent by the ex fiancé of Ivonne. without the faith of the people what are they? a government without a population. They get donations and ignorant people who do what they [the church] want them to do[ that is from a small or superficial level]. If a empire or kingdom notices that the church is losing support from the people that would mean it has less power in controlling the masses and the government can influence that population and shows a reduction of its power. If the church gives too much power to a dukedom instead of giving it to the kingdom/king/emperor, then there would be a unbalanced power and the dukedom would get more people in its favor and those people would want to move to its territory and the church would be forced to send their own people to keep an eye on the duke cuz he/she is gaining too much power which was NOT giving by god
. Remember the king/emperor is said to be the descendant or the avatar of god. If someone who was not selected by "god" has this "divinity" and is not acknowledge by the church then what is the church there for? People will see the real corruption happening behind the curtains. The leaders, and especially the church, want the people to remain blind and ignorant of what the governments are doing. that is many projects/plans in the past even now done by those groups are always kept in secret, and the most important ones are never revealed. At least it is something that will benefit them in the long run by making it public now.
Through history, we saw religion as a way to connect ourselves to a higher entity[es]. The problem is that people in a religious structural system always gain a lot of power and is able to challenge or step on an equal ground to the monarchs or prime minister or a president. In other words, is in reality another type of government. This is not really taught in basic history. We mostly learn about our own country history, then global history, and then about the previous world wars and how it affected or affects our current time. If you go to college/university and try to study history in a more specific/detailed way, you can see how religion that was spread and talked about in big organizations [aka well established churches], is just another government trying to take over people way of lives. We saw how things worked from the very old to the most recent religions in our world.
It is just ridiculous to see how many people fall for it. This is why many times journals, and records says that a hero/a leader is always good in moving/manipulating the masses. Most people fall for it. It is even more easier for religious organization to do so by just adding " this is what god wanted us to do or the Will of God." Look on how many times leaders of many type of religion have always been working with the governments and even fought with the government when it came to domination [controlling the people]. Who would donate, who would do what they say/who will just do what god said. People don't go against them cuz they use the word god in everything, and people like naïve lambs follow them cuz they are so weak that need someone to guide them. Sometimes, it is good but most people too constantly do it. It is an extreme behavior on how they need someone guiding them to a point that it come addictive. Nothing wrong with believing in some sort of principal and morals and how things were created to help with the foundation of what you believe, but many don't stay in there but form their own groups [which is how the churches of many religions were created] and when they become too big that corruption begins to infiltrate. It is human nature. The desire to keep everything in check. Why do you think parents don't just guide us but restrain us without telling us what to do. They learned it that way; but, from whom? from the leaders of the past. who needed to keep everybody in check cuz they would give food and shelter to the people but was never for free.
The desire to have more and to own someone else life is a greed that many people fell and fall for it. We see this happening with employees and employers, too.