With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church took a negative stance on popular theatrical performances. Which sentence explains why the Catholic Church looked down upon such performances in the Middle Ages? At least one reason for increased interest in the Catholic Church was the effort by church officials to bring people back to the church. At the time, actors were seen as people with bad morals. Performances supposedly drew bad crowds and sent immoral messages. However, these performances entertained illiterate and uneducated audiences, which encouraged the church to incorporate theater into its teachings.