That's just regular church stuff in countries with organised centralised religion. That's why one of the major things the French Revolution did was first sell b

That's just regular church stuff in countries with organised centralised religion. That's why one of the major things the French Revolution did was first sell bonds against Church land, then directly sell off that land. It was wasted on the Church and the state needed the money and more productive use out of it (taxes, because of course Church land wasn't taxed).