High help: why did church officials’ ownership of land and appointment - Help.com

Which church? What country? What time period are you talking about?

Money is power and if the church has a lot of land and buildings, it give them power.

The Catholic Church was at one time the largest single landowner in Europe. Monasteries and abbeys were established on these lands. Crops were grown, and cattle and sheep were raised. Wine and beer was produced. These activities brought in considerable money to the church. Money, of course, equalled power. Under the practice known as simony, church offices were for sale–including those of archbishop and cardinal. The Church made tons of money from these practices. There was also the sale of indulgences. ****. Peter’s basilica as financed through the sale of indulgences, which removed the need for “penance” for sins committed. The chief indulgence salesman of the Middle Ages, John Tetzel, came up with a little jingle: “When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.”