After Constantine became emperor of Rome in 313AD, christianity went from being persecuted to prefered among the roman people, this led to the church being diluted as there were now social and political advantages to being a 'christian'. This influx on non-christians into christian circles led to 'true' christians seeking seperation from the church which led to the beginning of monasticism, but this in turn led to a false sense of spirituality, however there were some monastic movements that were very evangelistic. Another 'movement' that arose in the church at this time was the Roman Catholic church, this denomination came about when the bishop of Rome which was the most powerful and influential city at the time was declared by the emperor to have more spiritual authority than all other bishops. Later in 590AD Pope Gregory I was not only the spiritual leader of Rome but also the political leader this came about when the Roman empire fell the pope stepped into the vacuum left. This was when the church of Rome began to gain more and more power.
