early half of the ecclesiastical body perished in England, where as on average only a third of the population was affected by the plague. It could mean that in many cases the ecclesiastical body was in fact serving the community as best as possible, however the bubonic plague was highly contagious. Through casual contact an infected person could easily spread the disease. The gestation period between infection and death was on average two to three days, in the case of the pneumonic plague it could be as short as a day and a half. The position of the church as an active part of society placed church officials at great risk, especially considering all of those priest who served during funerals. They were having contact with those who had died of the plague. In many cases, active, and members of ecclesiastical offices died as opposed to those who were more concerned with their own well being. By exiling themselves from the community they were able to survive the pestilence. The division of the ecclesiastical body, between those serving the community and those exiling themselves from the public created a moral and spiritual breakdown between the community and the church.
             The plagues large impact on the ecclesiastical body, led to a church unable to function as a support system, as Boccaccio states "(church)... had been left so entirely without assistance that they were unable to attend to their duties. As a result everyone had to leave to do as he saw fit." The church was unable to function, religiously or physically. The great loss of life, which had befallen the church, left them without a large enough clergy to serve the community. As a result society suffered a tremendous impact, not only was the community left to fend for itself, but society was left without a spiritual support system, which was greatly needed in this time of crisis. Without the religious focus society did not have the means to divert their e...